


We are, what we are

by XYX_N



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Abuse, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Crimes & Criminals, Drug Use, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, Mystery, Partners to Lovers, Serial Killers, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2020-03-07 12:17:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18873055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XYX_N/pseuds/XYX_N
Summary: 1999, the bodies of several young girls were discovered in Polis, a small town inside Vermont. The killer was never found. Almost 20 years after the gruesome murders the killer strikes again. Clarke Griffin, a charismatic column writer for Arcadia magazine and Lexa woods, an intelligent, anti-social hacker are asked to work together to solve those murders. Will they be able to capture the killer and bring justice to the families of the victims? And will their professional relationship escalate to something more?





	1. part 1

**Author's Note:**

> The first two chapters focus on Lexa and Raven's relationship

“That will be all, thank you Lexa”. Her employer said and stashed the brown, paper envelope Lexa gave him in his desk drawer. Then he sat back comfortably in his chair with a smug look on his face.

Lexa nodded and waited for her payment, giving her employer a hard glare when he made no move to get her the money she was promised to.

Lexa woods did not fuck around. She didn’t make any friends and she most certainly did not do any favors. She was asked to complete a task and she did, now all she wanted was her money and to get out of that fucking posh place. But this guy was really getting into her nerves. _“This son of a bitch how dare he fuck with me”_ Lexa thought as she continued her death glare at this guy.

“Ah, that’s right!” Her employer chuckled.

He stood up from his fancy desk chair and removed a white envelope out of the inside pocket of his expensive suit. “Almost forgot” he grinned and handed her the envelope.

He knew if he kept pushing Lexa’s buttons the consequences would not be ideal mostly for him.

Lexa immediately counted the paper bills inside. Once she made sure everything was ok, she proceeded to gather her leather jacket and helmet from the nearby chair across her employer’s desk.

“Lexa hold on!” He said just as she was about to open the glass door of the office.

“Why don’t you stay and let us have a talk about giving you a permanent place here?” He said.

“I’m sure a girl as… resourceful as you, could benefit the company.” He sat again in his chair, fingers interlinked in front of him on the desk, patiently waiting for the tattooed girl’s answer. He wasn’t stupid, he knew of Lexa’s reputation in the streets and how a person like her could be an asset to have. Sharp, intuitive, computer genius and overall lethal. Lexa Woods could handle any weapon she could get her hands on just as good as she could work a computer.

Lexa gave him no response.

“I’ll pay you double,” he said. “I will personally assign you to jobs and pay for any equipment you’ll need.” He finished trying to convince the younger woman. “Think about it for a sec” he smiled at her with certainty. “you’d have to be stupid not to accept such proposal Woods” he thought. _“come on Lexa just fucking answer me!”_ he though.

Lexa was getting angry by now. His persistence was really starting to get on her nerves. She had made herself very clear about the fact that she worked independently. She chose her own jobs, the people she worked with and how much money she would get. but this guy was not getting it.

“No” She said firmly and left the office without a second glance, leaving her former now employer baffled.

 _“Fucking rich pig,”_ she thought as she was walking towards the elevator, passing through the large corridor where all the other offices were. She could feel the stares of the employees at the back of her head, maybe because they suspected of their boss, it wasn’t the first time lexa was hired but a rich man to do their dirty work or maybe because her attitude and attire did not match that of an office’s employee. Black leather jacket, black band t-shirt, black ripped jeans, biker boots, piercings all over her face, tattoos, partly shaved head and white bleached eyebrows hardly made proper appearance for a white-collar worker. But lexa Woods did not care, she never gave a shit about other people’s opinions nor she listened to anybody.

Lexa Woods preferred people to be afraid of her and many did. She never smiled or expressed any emotion, he only thing that she was found doing regularly was rolling her eyes whenever people annoyed her or giving them steely glares as to make them understand that she was not to be fucked with.

Upon reaching her destination, Lexa pressed the call button for the elevator and waited impatiently. She could not wait to get the fuck out of that place.

After a couple of minutes, the doors finally opened with a ding, she got inside the lift pressing the button for the underground level garage where her black triumph Bonneville T-100 was located. Lexa had always loved old-school style motorcycles, even since her teenage years she always dreamed of owning and customizing her own bike. And that she did five years ago when she managed to gather enough money, she finally bought her dream bike.

Upon reaching the garage floor, she put on her helmet, got on the bike, fired up the engine making a roaring almost deafening sound in the empty garage and took off exiting the enormous skyscraper located in the heart of Washington.

 

______________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Lexa arrived at her “apartment” which was just an old, abandoned storage unit in the south west area of D.C. That she shared with her work partner and close friend Raven Reyes. Lexa rarely ever in her life pursued relationships with other people, friendly or romantic wise. She never had friends throughout her school years nor later in life, she had of course her fair share of romantic or rather… Sexual partners but nothing that lasted more than one night. She could even count the number of people she liked in her one hand and one of these people happened to be Raven.

A smartass, headstrong, genius gadget expert with exceptional hacking skills. Raven often bragged about how smart she was and how she had secretly hacked into NASA’S most classified files and found all kinds of strange information that she would not of course share with Lexa.

_“Man… the things I saw in those files, its not for normal people to see I’m telling you woods” she said dramatically and place her arm on lexa’s shoulders, almost attempting a half hug with the brunette._

_“Bullshit, Reyes” she shrugged Raven’s hand off. She hated when people touched her without permission even if it was Raven. Lexa would tolerate the touch of the feisty Latina but not when she would get all cocky and antagonize her._

_“Fine, keep believing what you believe Woods, but don’t come running to me for help when aliens and A.I’S invade earth” Raven said and took another swing from her beer._

_Lexa simply rolled her eyes at the shorter woman and continued with her work._

Lexa had come across Raven for the first time, while investigating a man called Cage Wallace who was believed to be involved in several human trafficking rings throughout the US. From an outside perspective the guy looked “clean” and average. He had a boring office job in a bank, a big ass house in the suburbs, a wife and two children. But of course, lexa knew what kind of a bastard he was. He and his underdogs would lure poor, homeless women from the streets, promising them a better future and a decent job only to force them into prostitution and drug addiction.

And one of his victims was Raven. The young Latina had been living the streets of D.C for months after her alcoholic and abusing ex-boyfriend had forced her out of their shared apartment. Raven could no longer stand the beatings and the verbal abuse coming from her ex-boyfriend, she packed her few belongings into a backpack and fled her home one night after he threatened her with a kitchen knife that he was going to gut her alive if she ever dared to leave him.

That’s when Cage found her, sleeping in a bench in the nearby park on a cold winter morning. He had made her an offer to work for him and Raven accepted.

Looking back now she could not comprehend how stupid she’d been. She had spent many sleepless nights and days beating herself up for her stupid choice but at that time the homeless, jobless and starving brunette could not think clearly. She had no one and nothing in the world apart from her abusive ex and her neglecting mother which she had lost contact with many years ago. Not even the apartment that she lived in was hers, Finn had inherited it when his aunt died couple of years ago.

She couldn’t even call the police. Finn had many mates inside the precinct, and she couldn’t risk him founding her and hurting her again, so Raven took her chance for a better life and ended up regretting it worst way possible. Cage’s men forced her into his van before she had the chance to react, drugged her and drove her to the place where all the other victims were staying until assigned to their place of “work”.

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Lexa had been gathering any information and evidence she could get her hands on in order to put that Wallace bastard behind bars forever and try to save those girls. Photos, audiotapes, files and even an encrypted video tape of the victims from inside an old abandoned basement where they lived under horrible conditions.

When she was sure enough that the evidence she found proved her assumptions, she contacted her boss.

The SWAT team tore down every single one of Cage’s infamous clubs and searched every nook and cranny, but Wallace was nowhere to be found.

When they later questioned his wife, she had no idea where he was.

_“Great work lexa” her boss praised her. “I don’t know what we’d do without your help, if only we had caught that son of a bitch…” her boss was just as frustrated as Lexa that Wallace managed to escape justice. But her job here was done. Her boss wrote her a very generous check and she was ready to be on her way._

_“Oh, and Lexa!” her boss remembered “One of the girls we rescued from the club basement wishes to meet you, she wants to thank you personally. Now, I know this is not how we do things, but she seemed desperate and I told her I’d check with you first.”_

_“If you want, I can arrange a meeting, would you care contacting her?” her boss waited for her answer._

_Lexa took a couple of seconds contemplating whether she should._

_“No” she really shouldn’t get any more involved in this than she already was and meeting with that girl would make things much more complicated. This was just another task that Lexa had successfully completed._

_“Ok then, that’ll be all. Thank you again lexa and I hope we’ll get to work together again in the future” her boss raised her hand waiting for lexa to shake it, which she didn’t._

_She retracted her hand and cleared her throat. Lexa understood the cue and left the office._

2 months later a young Latina was knocking at her front door asking for her.


	2. part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is part 2 of how Raven and Lexa became friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning, mention of drugs, violence and panic attacks.

_Knock, knock, knock._

_Lexa woke up to the sound on knuckles rattling against her front door, she was lying in bed on her belly with pillow above her head in order to block the annoying sound. It was clear that she had no intention of dealing with whoever it was at the door. She figured if she ignored them, they would eventually go away._

_Silence. “finally,” she groaned half asleep._

_KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK._

_The knocking intensified, making Lexa jerk awake also disturbing her bed mate._

_“who the fuck is it at 7 in the fucking morning” her bedmate growled as she checked the time on her phone on the bedside table, also waking up from the disturbing sound coming from the living room._

_“fucked if I know” Lexa mumbled annoyed while holding her pillow tightly against her head._

_“LEXA WOODS ARE YOU IN THERE?” A woman yelled behind the door._

_“Were you expecting company?” the redhead beside her asked irritably from being woken up in this ungodly hour._

_Lexa didn’t answer._

_She was trying to figure out who this person was and how did they know her name, it was definitely not her landlord Mrs. Henderson or any of her annoying neighbors._

_“OPEN UP PLEASE! I NEED TO SPEAK WITH YOU!” The person behind the door yelled._

_Lexa growled and got up from her bed, she searched around for her underwear and t-shirt that were scattered around the room due to last nights activities with the hot redhead, Kimberlin, Kaitlyn? Something like that “who the fuck cares” Lexa thought as she was putting on her black boy shorts and band t-shirt._

_“stay here” She told the redhead while searching through her dresser’s top drawer for her pocket knife. If the person behind the door proved to be a threat, she might as well be prepared for it._

_“Always be prepared for the worst when dealing with people Lexa” that’s what her mentor always told her._

_Lexa motioned for the redhead to stay quiet, she silently closed her bedroom door leaving her inside and padded to the front door looking through the peephole._

_She saw a short brunette wearing a large black coat and a beanie, standing impatiently, fidgeting with the brown paper bag she was holding._

_Lexa carefully opened the front door leaving the door chain still in its place creating a small space where she could peak at the brunette but not allow her inside the apartment._

_“Hi” the Latina said lamely, “um... I’m Raven, Raven Reyes, you probably don’t even know me, but I was one of the victims from the club, Mount weather?” she explained._

_Lexa didn’t speak, she just stood there looking at the short brunette. “mount weather?” Lexa thought._

_“can I come in? I need to speak with you”._

_Lexa closed the door without uttering a single word, Raven knew she shouldn’t be disappointed by her reaction. lexa’s boss had already told her what an odd character Lexa was but she insisted on seeing her and try to persuade the tattooed girl to help her._

_After couple of seconds just as Raven was about to leave the apartment complex, she heard the sound the chain lock on the door unlocking. Lexa opened the door and made room for the shorter brunette to step inside._

_Raven gave her a small smile, grateful that Lexa didn’t send her away. She crossed the threshold and headed to the kitchen which was in the same space with the living room area. The brunette shrugged off her coat and beanie, made herself comfortable sitting in one of the chairs and took a moment studying her surroundings. The place looked old and under maintained the paint on the walls had flaked in many places, there were not many furniture apart from a large, leather couch with a small table in front of it, a kitchen table with an ashtray that over spilled from the burned out cigarette buds and a couple of cupboards above the kitchen counter that was littered with empty fast food wrappers and beer cans. But the what caught Ravens eye was the dual screen set up on a desk in the corner of the living room._

_“You might wanna put some clothes one” Raven said seeing that Lexa was in her undergarments. “I got you coffee and a bagel” she said raising the brown paper bag she was holding._

_Lexa was baffled. She briefly remembered seen the short brunette in the club when she had gone undercover to investigated Wallace. She was dancing on the stage swinging on a silver pole. Lexa had to admit she looked attractive but also very tired and lethargic she wasn’t doing any extreme tricks just going in circles stripping an article of clothing as she continued her dance number for the people sitting on the tables facing the stage. Lexa was appalled by all the disgraceful things the people and mostly men were yelling at the girl, laughing and overall treating her like a piece of meat._

_Lexa figured she might have been on drugs by the state she was in; she had observed that it was common for the strippers in Wallace’s clubs to be in the same shape Raven was or even worse. The only thing she didn’t notice was Raven finishing her dance and looking at her while she was taking pictures of the strip club._

_Lexa was left speechless as she remembered the girl from the club, she was lost in her train of thought when the Latina spoke up again._

_“Not much of a talker, are you?” Raven chuckled._

_“wait here” Lexa ordered and retreated in her bedroom._

_Upon entering she saw her redhead companion from last night scrolling on her phone._

_“You gotta go” Lexa told the girl while searching for a pair of sweats through her closet._

_“oh” the girl said obviously hurt “I thought we could spend the morning together” The redhead stood up from the bed stark naked and approached Lexa from behind hugging her waist._

_Lexa did not appreciate the touch, she harshly removed the redhead’s hands from her waist which clearly bothered the girl._

_“I told you I don’t do relationships” Lexa said ignoring the girl’s feelings._

_“right” the redhead crossed her arms “well I didn’t say anything about a relationship” “just hang out this morning it’ll be fun” the girl almost pleaded._

_“I don’t do that either” lexa said as she put on her dark grey sweatpants._

_Then she gathered the redhead’s clothes that were also scattered on the floor and tossed them on the bed for the girl to take._

_“Get dressed and get out”._

_Lexa knew she was acting like an asshole, but she didn’t do long term attachments and it would be best not to get the girl’s hopes up._

_“Fine!”_

_the redhead whose name lexa still didn’t know yelled and started putting on her clothes hurriedly._

_She opened the bedroom door and headed to the living room glancing at Raven who had now gotten up from her chair and was standing next to lexa’s desk admiring her set up from up close._

_Raven didn’t know that lexa had company over, so she was a bit startled when a fuming redhead exited Lexa’s room._

_“Your friend is a fucking jackass” She spat and closed the front door behind with force._

_“She not my…” Raven didn’t get to finish her sentence and the girl was already gone “…friend”._

_Raven kept looking at the door for a few more seconds before turning her head towards the direction of lexa’s room, where she saw the tattooed girl looking at her with a steely glare probably because she was “snooping” at her things._

_“so… that happened” She joked trying to lighten the mood. “Sorry i didn’t know you had company”._

_“None of your business and don’t touch my shit” Lexa said walking past her to where her cigarette packet was._

_She took one and placed it on her lips then she headed to the kitchen opening the top drawer reaching for a lighter to light her cigarette._

_“Sorry” Raven apologized again._

_“Want one?” lexa pointed to the now lit cigarette on her lips ._

_“No thanks, I don’t smoke” The short Latina answered scratching the inside of her arm. Lexa had noticed her doing it ever since she got into her apartment. that and how skinny Raven really was or how prominent were the dark circles under her eyes._

_“You do drugs though” Lexa said nonchalantly puffing out a smoke cloud and leaned on the kitchen counter sipping the coffee Raven bought for her. Lexa Wood clearly did not have a filter._

_Raven cringed at the comment, it wasn’t her fault Cage supplied her and the other girls’ heroin to keep them compliant. At first she tried to resist him but his men would grab her arms, point a gun at her head and force her to relax her arm in order to stick the needle with the yellow liquid in. leaving her on the bed unconscious for people who paid to have their way with her._

_Raven didn’t want to be remembered of these things anymore, that’s why she sought out for Lexa so she could help her track him down and kill the son of a bitch. It had become he life’s mission to burry that sick bastard 6 feet underground._

_“yeah well, my life’s been pretty fucking shitty lately” Raven said. She hated that she was addicted to drugs, she hated that if she didn’t use her body hurt so much that she felt like dying. That’s why she couldn’t just stop. She had thought of going to rehab but she didn’t have much money. She had just recently started working as a waitress in a dinner near her temporary apartment provided by state and the money she was making were not nearly enough._

_Lexa decided not to comment on that statement and puffed another smoke cloud. It wasn’t her business although she did feel sorry for the younger girl, she knew the conditions which she and so many other girls were kept under so instead she changed the subject._

_“How do you know my name and where I lived?” Lexa questioned._

_“Your boss.” “She said you could help me” Raven answered._

_“My boss?”_

_“harper McIntyre” Raven said._

_**Fucking Harper** lexa though. Raven must be the girl who wanted to see her all these months ago lexa figured._

_She had told Harper she didn’t want any contact with the brunette but of course she wouldn’t listen. For a security company CEO, Harper was very naïve._

_“What do you want from me?” Lexa questioned suspiciously. Why did this girl need to contact her so bad?_

_“I want you to help me find Wallace.” Raven simple answered._

_“No” Lexa denied her request and put out her cigarette bud._

_Raven’s face fell, she had spent weeks relentlessly begging Lexa’s boss to tell her who was responsible for finding out about Wallace’s dirty work, but Harper wouldn’t give in to the Latina’s pleads. So, she hacked her computer and searched her emails and files. That’s how she came across Lexa Wood’s name with an address and a phone number below a picture of said girl._

_After all the trouble she had gone through she sure as hell would not leave the tattooed girl’s apartment empty handed. She had tried of course locating Wallace, but this guy was a cockroach he knew how to hide and leave no trace behind him._

_“Please Lexa, you’re the only one who can help me find that bastard” Raven begged._

_“I said no”_

_She left the kitchen and headed to the bathroom._

_Raven was left sitting at the table angry with glistening eyes from unshed tears._

_She waited until she heard water splashing on the sink._

_Raven was staring at the floor. Waiting for the brunette to exit the bathroom._

_“Listen Raven” lexa said as to catch the girl’s attention._

_She proceeded to sit in the chair across from the brunette. She drew another cigarette out of the packet, lit it and tossed the lighter on the table._

_“If you want my help, it’s going to cost you. I don’t do no pro bono shit for people got it?”_

_Raven’s head shot up. She couldn’t believe Lexa had changed her mind._

_“But, in the state that you’re in I don’t think you can afford my services” Lexa said, and it was true._

_A junkie working in a dinner, living in a shittier apartment than she was. Yeah, no chance she could hire Lexa._

_“Money is not a problem” Raven said to the stoic brunette with a serious face._

_Lexa folded her arms looking at her in disbelief._

_“I can get you money, a lot of it even” Raven replied placing her hands on the table crossing her fingers._

_Lexa place her thumb on her bottom lip still holding her cigarette between her pointer and middle finger. “How?” “You don’t exactly look like the rich type”._

_“That you’re right. I barely make enough to survive”. Raven confessed. “But I know how you can get your hand on Wallace’s”._

_Lexa chuckled it was the first time Raven saw Lexa express any emotion other than apathy._

_“bullshit”._

_“It’s true”. Raven reassured. “When… When I was “working” for him I heard him talking to someone about a place where he kept a part of his money. I was almost unconscious at the time, but I heard him”, “He obviously couldn’t keep it all in a bank as it would raise suspicions and I know for sure that the police know nothing about the place”._

_Lexa put out her second cigarette and bit on the bagel Raven had gotten for her._

_“You actually want me to believe Cage Wallace has a secret hiding place for his dirty money without anyone knowing about it except from the person he was talking to?”Lexa asked chewing her soft cream cheese bagel._

_“Yes” Raven responded._

_“uhm, and where is that place exactly?” Lexa questioned._

_“I’ll tell you only if you agree to help me find the motherfucker” Raven sat back on her chair angry that the brunette didn’t believe her._

_“Listen I don’t know what drug you’re on but…”._

_Before Lexa got to finish her sentence, Raven jumped from her chair, banged her fist on the table and yelled at her “I’M NOT FUCKING HIGH, I’M FUCKING SERIOUS. I JUST WANT YOUR GODDAMN HELP TO CATCH THE BASTARD AND PUT A BULLET BETWEEN HIS FUCKING EYES”_

_Lexa also got up from her own chair grabbed Raven’s hand that was pointing at her, twisted it behind her back and force her face down on the table with a thump._

_“Listen here bitch, you don’t get to come into my house, demand my help, make stupid fucking promises that I don’t even know if their real and then yell to my fucking face. GOT IT? “_

_Raven grunted; her arm was really starting to hurt by now. Her breathing was labored and everything was getting dark, she knew she was on the verge of having a panic attack._

_Flashbacks from Finn and Cage’s men abusing her came into her mind and she felt like her lungs were crushing._

_“fuck” Lexa thought as she quickly picked up the signs of a panic attack and immediately released her hold on Raven. The younger woman fell on the floor crying and hyperventilating. Lexa approached her slowly and gathered the bonny brunette into her arms while whispering soothing words in her ear._

_This was completely out of character for the stoic brunette._

_“Raven breathe, listen to my voice and breathe” lexa whispered. “It’s ok, shhh it’s ok” she rocked the young Latina slowly back and forth. “Come on breathe for me, that’s it”_

_“I’m…so…sor…I’m sorry” Raven manage to get out after a couple of tries._

_“Shhh. It’s ok,” Lexa reassured and continued holding the brunette tightly in her arms until her shaking subsidized._ _“I’m the one at fault”_

_“it’s ok, don’t be afraid”_

_Raven did not respond but her shaking and crying did stop. Lexa figured that the Latina had probably passed out from the exhaustion. So, she picked her up from the kitchen floor and walked with the small brunette in her arms to the living room area, placing the sleeping girl on the couch._

_Lexa felt guilty having caused the girl to have a panic attack, she could only imagine the things she went through all this time she was kept captive by Wallace, but at that time she was only defending herself. Had she known the scrawny brunette would react the way she did she would not have laid a single finger on her._

_Lexa had her fair share of panic attacks when she was younger, that’s how she knew how to calm Raven down. Living in a house with an abusive father and an indifferent mother would do that to a kid. During that time, she was not living just surviving. She’d put up with the beatings of her father and the verbal abuse coming from her mother until the straw broke the camel’s back._

_Lexa draped a blanket over Raven and let the brunette sleep._

_Then she walked to her desk, opened her computer and started her research on Cage Wallace for the second time, glancing at the young girl sleeping peacefully on her couch. Lexa figured Raven would stay asleep for a couple of hours by the state she was in. Raven looked like she hadn't had a decent night's sleep in a long time._

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

_After a couple of hours, Raven woke up from her sleep disoriented and confused. Her eyes focused slowly taking in her surroundings. That was definitely not her apartment she figured._

_She shot up from the couch discarding the blanket that was covering her on the floor, remembering the events that had taken place only a couple of hours ago._

_Lexa looked at the startled girl silently._

_Raven was clearly distraught “Fuck” she uttered as she she caught lexa’s eyes. “Fuck,fuck,fuck” she cried out running a hand through her hair “ I have to go” she rushed to the kitchen to retrieve her coat._

_“Raven” lexa said trying to get the brunettes attention._

_“I got to get out of here” Raven ignored Lexa calling her name._

_“Raven”. She called again._

_“It was wrong of me to have come here” “I’m so sorry! I should have never come here, fuck” “what was I even thinking” she hit her forehead with her hand “stupid, stupid, stupid”._

_“Hey!” “Will you relax already?” Lexa got up from her chair and grabbed Ravens hand that was hitting her forehead with, making her stop her ministrations._

_“If you want to find Wallace you better get your shit together” Lexa said harshly and released the brunette’s hand._

_Raven was dumbstruck. “I... You’re going to help me?” Raven felt like crying she couldn’t believe lexa fucking woods accepted to help her._

_“I’ll think about it” “but if you’re going to lose your fucking cool again, I won’t” Lexa warned and sat back in her desk chair facing her computer screens._

_“thank you” Raven said gratefully._

_Lexa ignored her and kept typing on her keyboard. Raven took that as her cue to leave the girl’s apartment, she buttoned her coat and wore her beanie ready to get out and face the cold winter weather._

_“And Raven” Lexa spoke up right before Raven’s hand touched the door handle._

_“I’m sorry” no one spoke at that moment .Raven clearly understanding the reason Lexa was apologizing for, she knew the taller girl was only defending herself but at that moment she couldn’t control herself. She had been abused for far too long to have enough mental scars that triggered such reactions._

_Raven decided not to say anything. Things were already awkward between them._

_“I’ll be in touch” Lexa finished._

_A tiny smile appeared on Raven's face._

_She left the apartment feeling like a weight was lifted off her shoulders._

_Maybe Lexa Woods wasn’t a complete psychopath, she thought._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	3. part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is part 3 of how Lexa met Raven and became friends. There is going to be a fourth part just to conclude their story but i swear Clarke will make an appearance :) 
> 
>  
> 
> Warning: Drug use

_Lexa had contacted Raven three days after the young brunette had shown up uninvited at her apartment on a cold Tuesday morning. Raven was surprised to see that a text message from an unknown number had appeared on her phone screen that read **“my place, 8pm. Don’t be late”.** with the letters **L.W** signed at the bottom. If she was being honest, she didn’t think that Lexa would contact her so soon or at all after last Tuesday’s events, but here she was texting her to meet up. She immediately saved the number as a contact under the name commander. ‘She’s bossy as fuck after all’ raven thought to herself and continued putting fresh, brewed coffee in the coffee machine of the local diner where she worked._

_“Miss, can I get a refill over here, please?” An older man asked sitting on the dinner’s counter eating his breakfast eggs with bacon, holding his coffee mug in the air, indicating that it was empty._

_“Be right there!” Raven said loudly, removing the scorching hot coffee pot from its place and walked towards the man._

_________________________________________________________________________

_Knock, knock, knock._

_Raven arrived at Lexa’s place at exactly 7:58 pm, she knocked on the door and waited for the broody, tattooed girl to answer. She was again holding a bag containing edibles for Lexa. It was the least she could do after the stoic girl had accepted to help her._

_She heard movement coming from the inside of the apartment._

_Raven had been nervous all day about this meeting, she didn’t know how to face the girl after what had happened three days ago. She was embarrassed and scared to see Lexa again, but she managed to pull through._

_Almost…_

_After her sift ended at 4, she hurried home and took a valium, just to take the edge off for a few hours until it was time to head off to Lexa’s. She didn’t want to use heroin even if her body screamed for it at the time. But she knew if she gave in to her urges and used, she would probably be passed out and miss her appointment with Lexa. She definitely didn’t want for that to happen, she doubted that the older girl would give her a second chance if she didn’t show up in time and Raven sure as hell could not afford to miss the opportunity to find Wallace._

_The door opened, revealing the taller girl wearing a sleeveless black tank top and a pair of red scotch plaid flannel boxers holding a beer and a cigarette in her hand. Most of her tattoos were visible due to the revealing nature of her clothing. From the intricate tribal design on her right bicep, the sexy biker girl with the roses on the bottom and a sign that said **“vive ut vivas”** in Latin on her left arm, the big complex tribal tattoo starting from the top of her thigh and finished just above her left knee, to the beautiful rose on the right side of her neck._

_Raven was impressed by how gorgeous and detailed all her tattoos were and she imagined that the girl probably had more hidden under her garments._

_“Hey” Raven said shyly, tightening her grip on the plastic bag she was holding._

_To say that she was nervous to be in the older girl’s presence would be an understatement._

_Lexa ignored her greetings, turned her back to the shorter girl leaving her waiting on the door and headed towards her desk._

_Raven was frozen on the spot. Should she walk in, should she stay where she was? She didn’t know what to do, until Lexa finally spoke up._

_“Close the door behind you” She commanded with her back turned on Raven._

_Raven released the breath that she was holding._

_As she was walking inside the apartment following Lexa, Raven noticed a freshly done tattoo on the back of her neck. Lexa had her hair in a bun and just below her shaved patch of hair there was a beautiful broken infinity symbol. The skin around it looked red and angry, but the design was beautifully done._

_“New tatt?”_

_“It’s pretty”. The younger girl knew that her compliment would fall short with the impassive brunette, but she did it anyway._

_Lexa didn’t speak, she sat on her desk chair taking a long sip from her beer bottle finishing it and trashing it in the bin just under her desk. Then she put the lit cigarette that she was holding in her mouth puffing it and proceeded typing on her keyboard._

_Raven went towards the kitchen area, cleared the crammed table of the papers and used dishware and placed the food bag on the table._

_“You know you gotta stop answering your door in your underwear” Raven joked._

_Lexa turned in her chair and looked at Raven with a raised eyebrow._

_“And why’s that?” Lexa questioned._

_“You might give a girl the wrong impression” Raven shrugged._

_Lexa gave her a small smirk and turned around in her chair again facing her computer._

_The young Latina also smiled ‘I guess even Lexa woods appreciates a stroke to her ego’ she thought._

_“Brought you a snack” “it’s cold so you might wanna put it in the microwave first” Raven instructed the girl._

_“Are you like my work wife now or something? Are going to be bringing me food every time I call you over?” Lexa gave her a smug smile as she put out her cigarette and walked towards Raven who was taking the food boxes outside of the plastic bag._

_Lexa must be in a good mood Raven thought. She didn’t think the taller girl was capable of smiling much less making jokes. But she chose not to comment on it, she didn’t want the brunette to turn back to her hard-ass self._

_“I mean if you want. This is kind of a thank you for helping me” Raven said sincerely._

_Lexa nodded and opened her food container which contained a cheeseburger with french fries on the side and placed her food inside the microwave oven._

_After a couple of minutes waiting the now warm meal smelled amazing to the starving brunette. Her fridge and cupboards were empty of any kind of food except from couple of beers in the fridge and a small pack of premade waffles. Lexa wasn’t too keen on going for weekly shopping sprees to the supermarket and it definitely helped that she had a convenient store just below her apartment building where she mostly bought cigarettes, beer and precooked meals._

_Raven sat across the pierced girl on the table. She couldn’t help but think about the last time she was in the same situation as now._

_She hoped things would not turn out as they did last time._

_Lexa sensed the girl’s nervousness and passed her, her fries._

_The younger girl appreciated the gesture and grabbed a couple of them._

_“so, any leads yet?”_

_“No” Lexa said as she bit onto her burger._

_Raven was disappointed to hear that but not surprised. She knew finding that bastard would not be a walk in the park._

_“Do you think he fled the country?” Raven asked knowing that if he did, it would be possibly even harder to locate him._

_“Highly improbable. He wouldn’t be able to use any means of transportation anyway, he’s a wanted man after all.” “His bank accounts are also frozen so he wouldn’t be able to withdraw any money either.”_

_“What If he escaped with a private jet or something? He’s filthy rich” Raven asked._

_Lexa stood up and went to the fridge to retrieved two beers._

_“I went through all airline databases in D.C, only 5 private flights took place within the past 4 months and none of them was Wallace.” Lexa said searching her kitchen drawer for a bottle opener._

_She found it, opened the bottles and handed one to Raven while taking a swing out of her own and sat back in her chair._

_“What about his computers?”_

_“No signs of life, the police has probably confiscated them, and he’s sell number doesn’t exist anymore” Lexa answered and took another bite from her food. “He probably bought new devices anyway.”_

_“fuck” Raven looked down at her hands sadly._

_“but…” Raven’s head shot up to meet lexa’s bright green eyes. “His wife, has been pretty active lately” “Every couple of days she’s been withdrawing several amounts of money from a private account. 300 hundred dollars,500 and recently, a thousand.”_

_“Are you saying that she’s been supplying Cage?” “why would she do that though, he’s got more than enough money outside the bank.” Raven lightly scratched her chin._

_“You mean the money that you promised me?” Lexa asked with raised eyebrows._

_“um y...yeah” Raven blushed bright red. “Listen Lexa, I’ll get you your money no matter what, even if it’s not that bastard’s, I promise you I’ll pay you back.” She said truthfully even if they ended up empty handed of Wallace’s money Raven would find a way to repay the older girl._

_Lexa didn’t speak for a while and continued eating her food._

_“What if he’s in that place you say he ‘supposedly’ keeps all his dirty money at?” Lexa asked with a hint of irony in her voice._

_“First of all, the place does exist, and I’ll take you there. Second of all he hasn’t been there at all” Raven affirmed._

_“How do you know that?” Lexa asked._

_“Because I’ve been visiting that fucking place almost every day waiting for that motherfucker to appear but nothing, for months now he hasn’t even stepped a foot in there” Raven huffed angrily._

_“Okay”_

_Lexa decided not to push Raven further, so she decided to change the subject instead._

_“Maybe she, plans on leaving”_

_“who? His wife?” Raven questioned Lexa nodded._

_“Imagine finding out that you husband whom you’ve got two kids with and have been living under the same roof for years turned out to be a sex trafficker and abuser.” “I wouldn’t want my kids anywhere near him” Lexa shrugged._

_Raven contemplated what the brunette had said. She had left her house in the middle of the night because Finn turned out to be a monster. So, she couldn’t blame the woman for wanting to protect herself and her children._

_“Yeah, that makes sense."_

_Lexa nodded. “I’ll keep looking into it”_

_“Okay, thank you.” Raven said. Thankful for the brunettes help._

_Lexa nodded and went on grabbing another cigarette from its packet._

_________________________________________________________________________

 

**_t_ _hree months later…_ **

 

_Raven and Lexa’s ‘partnership’ was going smoothly. Lexa would text Raven to come over at her place to discuss any new findings that the brunette had discovered or simply hang out in her apartment (although Lexa would never admit to texting Raven just to hand out) ‘ strictly business’ that’s what she had called it. But in reality, Raven would come to her place, go over some things with Lexa about the case and then spend hours in the tattooed girl’s apartment lazing around, conversing even if it was Raven who was doing most of the talking._

_During the time they had spent together Raven got to see another, more relaxed and gentler version of the older girl, almost like how the brunette had been with her when she helped her out of her panic attack all these month ago._

_she wasn’t as crude and passive with her as she was in the beginning. Of course, she had her limits, for example Lexa didn’t like contact unless she initiated it and sometimes, she would glare at the shorter girl if she was touching her things without permission. But progress was progress._

_Raven had also made a habit of always bringing the tattooed brunette coffee and food from the diner because she knew Lexa refused to do any grocery shopping of her own and she didn’t want for the girl to starve. In exchange if it was getting too late and Raven would miss the last train for home, Lexa would let her crash on her couch and lend her some of her old, worn out clothes to wear, a pillow and a blanket. Raven was very grateful to have a person like Lexa in her life._

 

**_***_ **

 

_Although Lexa was still adamant about sharing anything too personal with her, one night when Raven was slightly intoxicated after too many beers, the tattooed girl had sat through almost two hours of listening to Raven open up about the struggles she had endured all these years. She had told Lexa about the neglect and indifference she experienced from her mother during her childhood years and how most of the time she didn’t even have the most basic of necessities in her house like food or clothing and how her favorite abuelita would take care of her most of the times until she died of old age._

_She had told Lexa about her ex and how that abusive, alcoholic, asshole was the reason she quit her job, lost all her savings and ended up in the streets where Wallace found her.(Lexa made a mental note to hurt that abusive, coward if he ever touched Raven again)._

_And also, about her struggle with addiction and how painful and nauseating it was for her body if she didn’t use the deadly opioid._

_Lexa hurt for the younger girl, even though Raven was loud and annoying at times, she was a good person and clearly didn’t deserve any of this. So, when she finished her stories, the tattooed girl put her hand on hers and gave it a gentle squeeze before releasing it. Raven had turned to look at her with tear stained eyes, appreciating the gentle touch and grateful for having somebody to talk to after all these years._

_Hearing Raven’s struggles made Lexa think of all the shit she had been through in her life. But she chose not to share any of her unpleasant experiences with the shorter girl yet. She was still untrusting of people but maybe, just maybe for the first time after years she could try and make a friend._

 

_________________________________________________________________________

 

**_Couple of weeks later…_ **

_Lexa was livid, she had just returned from Harper’s office fuming with anger. She parked her bike down to her building’s garage, took off her helmet and a texted Raven to immediately come over at her place **“come over, now”.** Then proceeded to climb up the stairs to her apartment since the elevator had broken down for the third time this week. _

_Lexa was sitting on her couch, elbows on her knees, holding a lit cigarette in one hand and on the other her forehead._

_Her phone buzzed on the table beside her. She picked it up and saw Raven had texted her back._

**_“Can’t right now, I’m at work”_ **

_Lexa huffed annoyed._

_Another text came couple of seconds later._

**_“Did something happen?”_ **

_Lexa decided to ignore the younger brunette and headed to her bedroom, changing into some more comfortable clothes. A plain grey t-shirt with a ‘Skid row’ logo on top and some black adidas sweatpants._

_Then she proceeded to lay on her bed, hands behind her head closing her eyes contemplating this morning’s events._

 

**_This morning..._ **

 

_Her previous employer harper McIntyre had called Lexa to meet her in her office in order to discuss about a case Harper wanted Lexa to take on. The tattooed girl rode her bike to the company’s headquarters whilst, first stopping by the diner where Raven worked to get a coffee. It was on her way after all._

_She waved a simple ‘hello’ to Raven, ordered a black coffee with two creamers and chatted with her for a couple of minutes until it was time to leave._

_Things were going well._

_She really like how hers and Raven’s relationship was evolving, the tattooed girl often found herself looking forward for the younger girl’s company, but she would never admit that to her._

_She had even contacted a rehab center for Raven to get clean. The clinic offered psychological support for abuse victims and a team of professionals who were trained to monitor and help the patients detox and recover. Lexa would love to see Raven free of her addiction, she had no doubt the younger girl would be an unstoppable fire cracker._

_Lexa walked inside ‘sky cru’ security and took the elevator to the upper floor where the CEO’S office was located. When the door of the lift finally opened Lexa stepped out and walked the short distance to Harper’s office._

_“Miss! You can’t go in there”. Called Harper’s secretary as she saw a tall, slim, tattooed girl heading towards her Boss’s office._

_Lexa stopped on her tracks and turned around to face the girl._

_“Do you have an appointment with miss McIntyre?” The beautiful, dark-skinned secretary asked._

_“Yes” Lexa answered monotonously._

_“ok, just a moment please I need to check with her.” The secretary said before calling Harpers telephone._

_Lexa rolled her eyes but waited for the brunette’s permission._

_“Ok, you may head inside, she’s expecting you” The elegantly dressed girl said fixing her glasses that had fallen down her nose._

_Lexa nodded and stepped inside the office._

_“Hey Lexa” Harper smiles upon seen the brunette. She finished shorting out the papers on her desk and gave Lexa her undivided attention._

_Lexa simply nodded, took off her backpack and jacket and sat in one the comfortable chairs in Harper’s office._

_“So, I’ll get straight to the point. I know you don’t like chit chat”._

_Lexa appreciated that the CEO wouldn’t waste her time._

_Harper passed Lexa a black manila folder.“In here is all the information you need, If the case interests you, give me a call. If it doesn’t, come by again and I’ll get you something else to investigate on.”_

_Lexa nodded and took the folder, stuffing it into her backpack. Then she got up and put on her black leather jacket._

_Harper went back to typing something on her computer._

_Just before she left, Lexa remembered something. “Harper” she called trying to divert the CEO’S attention from her task back to her._

_“hmhm?” The CEO answered, her eyes never leaving the computer screen._

_“why did you tell Raven where to find me?” The tattooed girl asked curiously._

_Harper finally shifted her eyes from the screen and looked at lexa with a confused expression on her face._

_“who?”_

_“Raven, Raven Reyes” Lexa repeated. “She was one of the girls from Wallace’s club. Medium height, very skinny, Latina, brunette” Lexa profiled Raven for the CEO._

_“Oh, Raven. Right”. “No I didn’t give her any info about you, she came here several times begging, but I respected your wishes” Harper answered._

_“Why?” “Did she contact you?” Asked Harper_ _._

_Lexa didn’t answer her, she was confused, Raven had said that Harper was the one who told her how to reach her and now, now she didn’t know what to believe. Why would Raven lie about something like that? Lexa’s mind was rushing as she was trying to go over everything that had happened during the past months._

_Then it suddenly clicked._

_“Harper can I check your computer for a second?” Lexa asked. She was distressed but, she didn’t want Harper to see that. Lexa would never leave her guard down._

_Even though she already had with Raven, but she hoped to God that she wouldn’t regret it. It would all come down to what the computer said._

_Harper looked at her for a hot minute but in the end she agreed she knew Lexa was a trustworthy person and wouldn't just ask for no reason. “Sure”_

_“Why?”_

_Lexa picked up her backpack from the floor, unzipped it and pulled out her laptop then she went around Harpers desk connecting it with the CEO’s computer._

_Harper made space for the brunette to comfortably maneuver around her desk area which Lexa was grateful for._

_Lexa pressed the power button of her laptop and waited a couple of seconds for the screen to light up. She typed in rush her password making sure that Harper would not see it and immediately opened the command prompt window, she run a program m typed a few codes in and another window popped up in Harpers screen._

**_“ATTENTION, UNAUTHORISED USER”_ **

_Lexa kept her fast pace typing on the keys of her keyboard until two rows of timeliness appeared. Lexa searched through the timeline board and saw **‘Wed. 11:47 a.m.’** in a bright red box different form all the other black ones._

_“What does that mean?” Harper asked clearly not knowing what was going on._

_“Did anybody else had access to your computer?” “_

_No, I’m the only one who uses it” “I would get notified if somebody had access to it without permission” She quickly explained._

_“Well surely someone did”_

_“What?!” How is that even possible?” Harper was bewildered._

_“Those days when Raven came to find you; did she stay alone in your office at any point?”_

_“What? I…No, I don’t think so” Harper replied clearly shaken up. “No wait! At some point there was a commotion going on, on the lower level and I had to go check. When I came back, she was gone.” “Did she do that!?” The CEO asked exasperated._

_“I don’t know yet” Lexa answered still typing codes on the keypad. Opening new command windows and typing the green and blue lettered codes in._

_“May I gain access to your CCTV system?” Lexa asked for Harpers permission._

_“You may” The blonde answered promptly._

_Lexa opened the security camera application, it needed a password._

_“I can crack it in less than three minutes, but I’d prefer if you’d put in the password yourself.”_

_Harper looked at her speechless. How could anyone surpass her firewall system that she had spent millions in creating and making it inaccessible to anyone, her databases were supposed to be protected. How could these girls access it so effortlessly? "_

_I don’t think that matters right now” Harper looked at her with a mix of anger and concern on her face._

_Lexa didn’t give a verbal response to the blonde and passed her the keyboard._

_The CEO hurriedly typed the password and the application opened. Lexa search the date where the violation of the system had taken place which also happened to be the day when the young Latina was left to her own devices in the office at exactly 11:17a.m_

_The CCTV camera had managed to catch Harper leaving her office hurriedly and Raven getting up from her chair, going around the blonde’s desk and connecting a device ,most likely her phone to the CEO’s computer, probably accessing the wireless network of the building in order to capture the machine, in that case The CEO’s computer. Then she must have used a vnc or a web protocol like cintirx to gain access to a third party view of Harper’s computer. ‘she’s good’ Lexa found herself thinking._

_“I have to report this” Harper now shocked by the evidence and the discovery that her system had been compromised. Picked up the phone ready to dial the police._

_“No”_

_“No? What do you mean no Lexa, this girl hacked into my fucking system I can’t let that slide” Harper banged her opened palm onto her expensive ebony wooden desk._

_“Fuck!” she yelled rubbing her forehead with her right hand._

_“I’ll handle it.” Lexa said trying to reassure Harper._

_Lexa looked at the tattooed brunette "ok, but be quick" "_ _I have to call Monty and see what I can do about this situation”_

_Lexa nodded, disconnected her computer from Harper’s and put it back in her backpack before exiting the office leaving behind her a furious blonde._

_‘Fucking Raven’ Lexa thought. She should have never trusted her, that’s how it always went. She would start trusting somebody, and then they would end up betraying her every single time. That’s why she didn’t do any relationships. She preferred people calling her a recluse and a freak rather than befriend deceitful, lying assholes._

_Lexa was mostly mad at herself for ever believing the shorter girl; she should have figured out that Raven was shady by the way the brunette always seemed to understand what Lexa was doing while researching Cage. Despite all the codes and programs that she run, Raven had not once questioned how they worked or what they did._

_Or the fact that they would never meet up at Raven’s apartment, Lexa knew it was because she didn’t have any of her tech equipment there (although she could have easily transferred any useful data to a portable computer without any problems), but Raven had never suggested for the tattooed girl to come over. Her excuse had been that it was messy, and that it was good for her to be out of the house, but Lexa knew different now._

_The older girl wondered what else had the younger girl lied about._

_Lexa rushed home determined to confront the dishonest brunette._

_________________________________________________________________________

_“Hey!” Raven greeted Lexa as she stepped inside the brunette’s apartment._

_“You sounded a bit weird from your text.” She got no response from the older girl._

_“And you didn’t text me back” The Latina said depositing two bags on lexa’s kitchen table, walking off towards the living room area where Lexa had taken a seat after opening the door. “Did something happen? Any news on Wallace?” Raven question curiously._

_Lexa was staring at the wall straight ahead, holding a cigarette between her fingers. She flicked off the excess aches that had gathered on the tip to the ashtray on the table in front of her._

_Raven frowned. She didn’t know why lexa was acting like that, their relationship wasn’t the same as it was in the begging but still. This Lexa reminded Raven awfully a lot of the broody girl she had met months ago._

_“Did I do something, or…?”_

_“How did you find me?” Lexa asked flatly._

_“What do you mean?”_

_“I mean, how did you fucking find my name and address!? ” Lexa yelled and shot up from the couch approaching Raven and getting into her personal space._

_Raven felt threatened. Why was Lexa attacking her?_

_“I...i’ve already told you, Harper told me” Raven said stuttering._

_“Bullshit. Stop fucking lying”_

_“I'm not!”_

_“_ _Oh really!? Cause I went to her office this morning and she told me she never revealed any information about my whereabouts to you”_

_“Then we had a look at her CCTV camera system and guess who i found hacking her computer.” Lexa said angrily crossing her arms in front of her chest waiting for an explanation from the shorter brunette. Sending her steely glares._

_Raven froze, eyes were glistening with tears, ‘fuck’ she thought. Lexa was never supposed to know that. She just wanted her help and Harper didn’t leave her any other choice. She had to make the tattooed girl understand that._

_“Ok. Ok you’re right I’m sorry that I lied to you, but I was desperate and I need your help.” “she told me you didn’t want anything to do with me and I got angry, so I hacked her computer trying to find you”_

_“I didn’t mean no harm I just needed your help” Raven was crying by now trying to explain herself to the brunette as best as she could._

_“How did you know how to hack her computer?”_

_“I used to work for a tech company before I dated Finn, there was a guy there, Sinclair. He saw I was interested in programming and taught me everything he knew. He died a couple of years back from a car accident. I own him everything.” The young Latina explained trying to wipe her tears with her sleeve._

_“Why did you need my help with Wallace then?” It didn’t make any sense._

_“You already had access to him, and I didn’t” Raven said._

_It was true Lexa had access to Wallace’s devices since she first started working on his case. She had bugged his house and office with Harpers permission and had complete access to his files, photos, contacts everything._

_“I’m so sorry that I lied to you Lexa, I swear. I never meant to break your trust I just wanted you to help me find that asshole and then I would be out of your hair.”_

_“But then, there was dead silence from Wallace and I would come over anyway just to hang out with you, and i got to know you and I saw what a good and gentle person you were even with your tough exterior, I saw you Lexa, I saw the real you.” “and I knew I wanted to be your friend even if you didn’t trust me enough to reveal anything about yourself.”_

_“And i couldn’t just throw our friendship out of the window” Raven tried to explain herself best as she could._

_Lexa remained silent after Raven’s confession._

_“You betrayed my trust and you have the nerve to call yourself my friend?” Lexa stepped even closer to the shorter brunette towering over her._

_“You disgust me”_

_Raven flinched at Lexa’s words and felt trapped under her seething gaze._

_“What else did you find about me?”_

_“Nothing else, I swear!” “just your name and address” Raven answered looking at the emerald green eyes of the taller girl. They were empty of any emotion. It scared Raven to the core ‘would she hurt me? ’she thought, her breathing getting labored._

_Raven closed her eyes expecting a blow from the tattooed girl but in never came. When she opened them again, she saw Lexa heading to her bedroom._

_“Get the fuck out of my apartment” She said with her back turned on Raven, opening her bedroom door._

_“Lexa please! Let’s talk about this.” Raven pleaded. She didn’t want Lexa to hate her she was the inly person she had trusted after everything that had happened, she just simply couldn’t lose her._

_“I said, GET THE FUCK OUT!” Lexa shouted and forcefully closed her door, leaving the younger girl crying and alone in the Livingroom._

_After a couple of minutes Raven wiped her tears, gathered her coat and left Lexa’s apartment. She had broken Lexa’s trust and probably their friendship too._

_When she reached her house, she unlocked the front door and tossed the keys on the small table next to the door. As she walked inside, she shrugged her coat off her shoulders leaving it to hit the wooden floor of the apartment, then she discarded her shoes and went to the kitchen, searching for a bottle of whiskey she kept in the cupboard under the sink._

_When she found it, she unscrewed the bottle and took a long swing that burned her throat as it went down. Raven was hurting physically and mentally and the only thing that could stop that was in a wooden box below her twin bed._

_Raven walked to her bedroom caring the liquor bottle with her and sat on the floor near her unmade bed. She took another sip of the bottle and placed it on the floor. Then she searched under her bed trying to reach for the wooden box containing he ‘precious’ medicine._

_She took the box in her hands and sat on her bed._

_There was chaos in her mind. She kept going over and over again everything that had happened till now and she couldn’t take it, she needed to relieve her anxiety and calm her nerves._

_She opened the wooden box and took out the syringe and the yellow rubber chord, placing them next to her. Then she picked up the metallic spoon that had already been burned one too many times and the small plastic bag containing the white powder._

_She ripped the plastic packet containing a sterilized needle with her teeth and installed in on the syringe. Then she proceeded to pick up the spoon pouring a small amount of water, from the water bottle next to her bed and a small amount of the white opioid._

_Raven took a lighter out of her front pocket and started burning the spoon with the drug liquefying it until it turned a shade of brown yellow and dubbed in a small piece of white clean cotton to use it as a filter. After that she took the syringe drawing up the golden liquid from the spoon and pierced her arm to draw a bit of blood into the syringe._

_She gently shook the needle mixing all the liquids together and let it sit inside the box, then she picked up the yellow rubber cord tightening it on her left arm._

_Raven saw the needle scars on her arm and almost cried. She hated doing this to herself, drugs were ruining her from the inside out, she looked paler skinnier and more fragile than ever before. But at the same time, she felt like she just couldn’t function properly without them._

_‘I’m a junkie and a fucking disappointment’ she started her self-pity._

_Raven couldn’t take it anymore; she slapped the inside of her arm just above her elbow trying to find a vein. When she did, she picked up the syringe from the wooden box and pierced her arm pressing down on the plunger seeing the liquid disappear inside her body._

_After a couple of seconds sweet euphoria washed throughout Raven’s body._ _She pulled the now empty syringe out of her arm, undid the rubber chord and fell back on the bed taking in the effects of the drug._

_She just wanted to forget for a while._

 

_________________________________________________________________________

 

**_Couple of weeks later…_ **

 

_Lexa had fallen back into her old habits. Going out to underground gay clubs, finding girls to hook up with and abandoning them the next morning._

_She hadn’t tried to contact Raven again and ignored any phone calls or text messages coming from the younger girl. Instead she had chosen to focus on any cases Harper assigned her._

_Loosing Raven from her life was difficult, even after just a couple of months of knowing the brunette Lexa often found herself missing her._

_She had gone through her file and confirmed everything the Latina had told her about her previous job and life but still Lexa couldn’t bring herself to trust her. She needed more time._

**_***_ **

_As Lexa was getting ready for bed after returning home from a night out in one of the bars she was a regular, she heard a faint knock on her door._

_At first, she wasn’t sure if somebody was really at her front door or her ears were playing tricks on her, so she decided to ignore whatever it was and start getting dressed for bed._

_Knock_

_Knock_

_Knock_

_Lexa was sure this time that somebody was indeed knocking on her door, she exited her bedroom and headed towards the living room. When she reached the door, she looked through the peep hole and saw a hunched down figure dressed in black. The person looked like they were in pain and based on the groans Lexa could hear  coming through the door her assumptions were true._

_Upon opening the door Lexa’s eyes almost bulged out of their sockets._

_Raven was at her front door, barely being able to stand, sporting a black eye and busted lip, while her left arm was holding on her side._

_“L..e.xa” she managed to get out before bending down and coughing out blood on the wooden floor of the brunette’s apartment._

_Her knees buckled and she was about to collapse, when Lexa rushed to her side preventing her fall._

_“Raven, what the fuck happened?” Lexa asked clearly shaken up. She didn’t expect to see the younger girl in her front door at this hour and much less in the state that she was in._

_She gathered the smaller girl in her arms and walked her towards the couch._

_“Raven, hey” Lexa called patting slightly the brunette’s cheek. “Come on Raven, wake up” Lexa was brushing Raven’s hair away from her face gently as to no touch her injuries._

_Raven opened her eye, since the other one was closed shut and bruised purple ‘probably from a punch Lexa thought’ and she looked at Lexa._

_“Hey, Reyes” Lexa smiled gently, stroking her cheek._

_“Who did this to you?” lexa asked frustrated by the state the younger girl was in._

_Silence._

_“please Raven, tell me what the fuck happened, who did this to you?”_

_“F….”_

_“Finn” Raven finally managed to mumble tiredly and then her eyes rolled in the back of her head_

_‘_ _Fuck!’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading ! This chapter turned out quite long so feel free to let me know if you'd prefer a bit shorter chapters or not. 
> 
> Sorry for any grammar mistakes.


	4. part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final part of how Lexa's and Raven's relationship was formed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys this seriously took me way too long to finish, i'm very sorry for the delay :( On top of that i'm currently preparing for my driver's licence test so i didn't have as much time to write.
> 
> Sorry for any grammar mistakes.

_Lexa was sitting in one of the old, faded blue, chairs of the hospital’s waiting room for about 5 hours._

_The room was partly empty except from a couple of nurses coming and going and the occasional doctor that would inform the people waiting about the condition of their kin. Lexa was grateful that she didn’t have to sit next to somebody right now. Her right leg was bouncing nervously on the clean white floors of the hospital, creating a distinct thumping sound._

_The tattooed girl changed her position on the chair and placed her elbows on her knees, looking around the room trying to distract herself from the situation. Lexa hated hospitals. She hated the memories she had of these depressive, blunt, sterile places._

_******* _

_‘Hey sweetie can you tell me what happened to your arm?’ a nurse had asked the eleven-year-old scrawny looking girl with the big bright green eyes who was holding her left arm close to her chest._

_‘may I take a look?’ The nurse asked with a gentle smile._

_Lexa didn’t answer the woman._

_‘What’s you name?’ The woman smiled at her and took a swipe out of the package, wiping the dried tears on the girl’s face. And then turning around calling over a coworker._

_‘she refuses to speak’ the nurse informed her co worker._

_‘what happened?’_

_‘I think her hand is broken, but she won’t let me take a look at it’_

_‘Where are her parents?’_

_‘ I don’t know’ The nurse answered_

_The other nurse approached the small girl that was scowling at them. She kneeled down to match Lexa’s height._

_‘hey’ He said. ‘That must be painful’_

_**No shit** thought lexa, she had learned that word from her father, in the beginning she didn’t know what it meant but having him keep saying it everyday at her and her mother, she finally understood the meaning._

_‘Why won't you let Alice here take a look at it sweetheart?’ the nurse pointed at her arm ‘she’ll help you get fixed up super quick so you be able to go back to playing in no time’ He smiled. ’And..’ he pulled a bright pink lollipop out of his scrub’s front pocket. ‘if you’re a good kid you’ll get this’_

_The sight of the lollipop softened lexa’s expression, what child doesn’t like candies after all._

_‘I…’_

_‘Alexandria!’ Lexa didn’t get to answer the polite nurse, when a familiar, grating voice spoke up._

_Lexa visible cringed._

_‘Alexandria, where are you?!’ The man called from the corridor clearly irritated._

_‘There you are’ ‘come here!’ the tall bald man grabbed her right arm._

_Lexa yelped as the sudden movement hurt her injured arm and dragged her with him as he walked._

_‘wow sir! Hold on a second, you can’t just grab her like that she’s injured’ the nurse run behind the man who was dragging the small girl with him, he could she her wincing in pain._

_The bald man stopped in his tracks, turning to face the nurse who was following him. He released Lexa’s arm and grabbed the nurse by his collar._

_‘She’s my fucking kid, so back the fuck off’ the bald man shoved the nurse to the wall._

_He released his hold on his collar and took a hold of Lexa’s good arm again. ‘Come on were going to a different hospital’._

_The young nurse was dumbstruck same as the other people standing in the hospital’s corridor._

_He turned behind him focusing his attention on his cow worker. ‘Alice call security’_

_‘Right away’ she said and paged the security staff._

_That was one of the countless time Lexa had been in the hospital due to her father’s violent outbursts._

_******* _

_After Raven had passed out on her couch, she immediately called an ambulance for the shorter girl. She looked like a mess, she had bruises and a mix of dried and fresh blood everywhere. Her face, her clothes, her arms and her knuckles were a combination of a deep purple and dark red color, a clear indication that the shorter girl had put up a fight. Probably with Finn, lexa concluded._

_She was fuming with anger ‘This motherfuc…’_

_“Miss Woods" A person called._

_Lexa’s train of thought suddenly got interrupted by a man calling for her. It was a middle aged African American man, wearing an expensive blue suit which he had exchange the matching suit coat for a familiar white lab coat holding a clipboard and a pen on his hand._

_Lexa stood up from the old but comfortable chair and headed to his direction._

_“Are you miss woods?”_

_Lexa nodded and waited for his medical diagnosis on Raven._

_“Are you family with miss Reyes?”” We didn’t find an emergency contact on her record”_

_“No” Lexa answered._

_“Then I’m sorry but I cannot disclose any detail of her case with you ma’am”_

_Lexa rolled her eyes at the doctor, she didn’t have time for this she just wanted to make sure that Raven was ok._

_“She doesn’t have a family, I’m her only friend.” Lexa finally admitted._

_“Look im sor…”_

_“Please” Lexa looked at him with pleadingly._

_The doctor huffed, raising his empty hand towards his face touching either side his nose with his thumb and forefinger.” Ok”_

_He checked his clipboard one last time and then looked up at Lexa._

_“Listen your friend has suffered several injuries in multiple places of the body, she had a dislocated shoulder. A concussion and the most severe being a few broken ribs that pierced through her left lung.”_

_“We operated on her, thankfully with no complications but… She’s not out of the woods yet.”_

_Lexa was listening to the doctor giving her all the details on Raven's wellbeing. She was enraged that that fucker Finn had almost killed Raven, she had to do something about it. Lexa was determined, she would make him suffer._

_“She’s in ICU for the time being until we’re sure she can breathe on her own”. He continued._

_“We can’t know for sure when she’ll wake up, she was heavily injured, and her body is in recovery mode so it might take a while”_

_Lexa nodded at the doctor. She hurt for the younger girl and blamed herself for pushing Raven away only to have Finn get her hands on her. But she sure as hell would make the son of a bitch pay._

_“Also, we found large quantities of opioids in her bloodstream, which made it difficult to use anesthesia on her, we feared for her heart failing but fortunately she responded ok to it.” He explained._

_“We can recommend a couple of rehabilitation clinics for her..”_

_“I’ m on it, thank you”_

_“When can I see her?” Lexa questioned._

_“I can take you to her room, but you’ll have to stay outside and look through the glass. We can’t risk for her getting an infection.”_

_Lexa nodded, went back to her previous seat to retrieve her jacket and backpack and followed the doctor down the large, brightly lit corridor._

_They made a right turn and headed to where the room with the number 102 was located._

_“Ηere we are” the doctor opened the blinds revealing Raven on a hospital bed with a white tube going down her throat and different wires connected to her body monitoring her heart rate and her other vitals._

_The doctor spoke again. “When she wakes up the police would want to speak with her and take her statement, her injuries were clearly inflicted by someone so it would be best if…”_

_“I’ m on it” Lexa disrupted the doctor again. She really didn’t want the police to involve in this she knew that Finn would get out of this clean._

_“Ok, but I insist” Beep, beep, beep. “Excuse me, I have to go you can get her things that she had on her from the front desk just tell them Dr. Walters send you. And don’t worry Lexa your friend is in good hands” The doctor reassure and left her alone outside of Raven’s room._

_Lexa was clenching her fists by her side she couldn’t stand looking at this Raven it hurt too much. Where was the quirky girl, that she had met only months ago? Where was the girl that would bring her food just because she knew how much of a lazy ass Lexa was to go buy groceries? Who would scold her for walking around her apartment in just her underwear and make jokes about them being like an old couple who fought constantly over dumb things?_

_Now she was almost like an empty cell of a person lying down in a hospital bed, looking weak and defeated. Lexa stood behind the glass watching over Raven sleeping for fifteen minutes before saying her goodbyes and heading to the front desk to retrieve the girl’s possessions._

_******* _

_“Hello how can I help you?” Asked the nurse behind her desk looking at Lexa almost revolted._

_Lexa guessed she didn’t appreciate her unusual appearance. Lexa knew that tattoos, piercings and shaved heads weren’t everyone’s cup of tea. But she didn’t give a shit. She just wanted Raven’s things and to get out of there as fast as possible._

_“Dr. Walter send me; I want Raven Reyes staff” Lexa answered._

_“Are you her family?”_

_“I’m her friend” Lexa answered irritated by her staring._

_“I’m sorry miss but I cant just hand you over a patience things” the nurse said and removed her glasses leaving them on the desk._

_“I told you Dr. Walters send me” Lexa send the nurse a death glare ‘I don’t have time for this’ she thought. "Call him" She said glaring at the rude nurse._

_“Hold on a minute"The nurse picked up her phone._

_‘Fucking bitch, I could be out of here by now.’ Lexa thought._

_“Ok” “let me get them for you” The nurse in her blue scrubs halfheartedly got up from her chair and headed towards the back room._

_Lexa was left alone waiting, taping her fingers impatiently on the wooden desk. She looked behind her shoulder looking around the hospital room to distract herself while waiting. The Tv was playing a hospital infomercial, presenting the benefits of self-check to prevent cancer, a guy was holding onto his head with a bloody towel grunting and sitting next to a woman holding his hand and a toddler was crying uncontrollably whilst her mother was trying to shush her._

_“Here” The nurse tossed the bag onto the counter. “sign you name and last name and your signature in the left corner here” The older woman pointed._

_Lexa did and retrieved the plastic bag containing Ravens things and left without thanking her. She would go home, get rid of her bloody clothes, shower, drink some coffee and then get changed to head back to the hospital._

_******* _

_Lexa had just finished her shower. She put on a pair of underwear and a sleeveless tank top with a ‘fuck me I’m sad’ logo on it. Then she went to the kitchen and got the coffee machine started. She was tired and in need of a long nap, but she couldn’t not get back to Raven, so she hoped coffee would keep her awake for now. She took a cigarette out of its packet that was placed on the kitchen table and lit it, then her eyes focused on the clear, plastic bag containing Raven’s things next to it._

_The tattooed girl could see Raven’s wallet, scarf, a necklace and a set of keys. But no phone, she puffed out a smoke cloud and opened the zipped bag taking out the keys. Maybe she could stop by Raven’s apartment before heading to the hospital. She thought._

_When the coffee was ready she poured a generous amount in a cup added two creamers, picked up the mug and headed to the living room area sitting on her comfy black leather couch picking up the remote control from the small table across her, turning on the Tv. She decided that she would distract herself with some trash show while sipping her coffee and planning how to kill Finn, well not actually kill him, Lexa wasn’t a killer but hurt him so much that he wouldn’t dare to touch another girl ever again._

_******* _

_Lexa parked her matte black triumph Bonneville motorcycle just outside of Raven’s state apartment. From an outside perspective the building looked like it was about to crumble at any minute and Lexa figured the inside must be even worse. She retrieved Raven’s keys from her front jean pocket and unlocked the front door. Then walked to the elevator pressing the call button and waited patiently for it to reach the ground floor. When Lexa heard the distinct ‘ding’ sound of the elevator and saw the door opening she stepped aside for an old lady to exit it._

_The tattooed girl suddenly realized that she didn’t know in which apartment Raven was staying and she didn’t feel like wasting time trying to unlock all the apartment doors of the building, so she decided to ask the woman if she knew where Raven lived._

_“Do you know in which floor Raven Reyes is?” Lexa asked monotonously looking down at the older woman._

_“Who?” The grey haired woman answered clearly having trouble hearing her._

_Lexa noticed the older woman’s hearing aid and asked her louder this time. “Raven Reyes! Do you know her apartment number and floor?”_

_“Ahh, that junkie?” The woman laughed._

_Lexa was angry by the woman’s mockery ‘fucking bitch you’re lucky I need your help’_

_“She’s probably passed out again. I’ve been trying to get her to pay rent but she’s not answering and when she does, she’s always fucked up” The woman said crudely._

_“She’s on 308, third floor”_

_“Yesterday there was quite the commotion going on, I almost called the cops on her” The woman added. Lexa knew she was referring to the Finn incident. “You better not bring her any more shit, half of the residents here are low life, drug addicts we don’t need anymore”._

_Lexa could hear the malice in the woman’s voice, but she didn’t say anything. She went inside the lift and pressed the button with the number 3 on it. Raven must get the fuck out of this place the brunette thought, she knew Raven was struggling with her addiction and she surely didn’t need others luring her into using or even worse having Finn finding her again._

_She could probably ask her to move in with her when she woke up but her apartment was too small and she knew that Raven would not appreciate sleeping on her couch forever. Maybe they could get a new place together but she had to wait for Raven’s answer. Lexa’s train of thought was interrupted by the elevator sound indicating that she had reached the third floor._

_The tattooed girl exited and walked down the dirty corridor trying to find the shorter brunette’s apartment._

_“306, 307, 308, here we are” Lexa unlocked the door, opening it. The sight that she was greeted with was horrendous. There were staff scattered everywhere, broken glasses all over the floor, chairs turned upside down, blood spatters on the hardwood floor. It was like a crime scene. It seemed like Finn had made quite the entrance._

_Lexa walked carefully inside the house and put on her black leather gloves, she didn’t want to leave any fingerprints just in case anybody came and searched the place, she remembered what Raven had told her about Finn having mates inside the Police department so she didn’t want to risk it._

_The place itself wasn’t something special juts a small, old apartment that barely had any furniture in. It was messy as hell but Lexa figured Finn was to blame for that. She opened couple of doors until she found Raven’s bedroom, inside there was just a small, one person bed with a soft dark blue blanket on it and a pillow and a window above it looking down at the city, a small wardrobe, a desk at the corner of the tiny room and a bedside table. The room looked tidy enough ‘probably Finn hadn’t gone in here’ The brunette figured._

_Lexa didn’t want to snoop around Raven’s place to much but she couldn’t control herself when a wooden box, barely visible bellow the bed caught Lexa’s attention. She ducked underneath the bed and bulled it out, picking it up and depositing it on Ravens’s desk._

_Lexa opened the box and was greeted by the sight of Ravens heroin box. Tin foils, needles, plastic bags with a white powder in and a few pills were inside. She immediately took the box and took it to the bathroom where she proceeded flashing the items down the toilet. Then she went around the house searching for any other drugs, she found two orange pill bottles of Vicodin in one of the kitchen drawers, another bottle in the bed side drawer half filled with Xanax and couple of cocaine pills inside one of the coats in the shorter girl’s wardrobe._

_When she finished flashing those too she walked back inside Raven’s bedroom, took a couple of t-shirts, underwear and pants, unplugged her pc and the charger from the power outlet and stuffed them inside her bag. Then she walked out of the apartment without locking the door behind her, she would leave everything as it was minus the drugs. Lexa was determined to help Raven get help and not to give Finn motives to incriminate the younger brunette._

_******* _

_Lexa was sitting outside of Ravens’ room looking through the huge glass window that displayed Raven, sleeping soundly on the hospital bed. She didn’t want to leave the younger girl all alone in the hospital so she was determined to stay with her as much as she could, so she slid down the wall pulled her knees close to her check and crossed her arms around her pulled up legs._

_After a while Lexa got up to stretch her tingly limbs and numb butt and walked towards the cafeteria before throwing a glance towards Raven’s way to make sure that everything was ok._

_She went to the vending machine just outside of the hospital’s cafeteria, put a few coins in and waited for her coffee yawning. When she turned back to Raven’s room, she saw a nurse inside the room, wearing scrubs and a white mask covering her face, checking her vitals and fixing her light blue blanket under Ravens hands. She relaxed after a while when the nurse exited the room and gave a small smile at her._

_Lexa nodded back to her as a way to say thank you._

_Lexa slipped back down the white wall opposite Raven’s room carefully depositing the coffee cup beside her. She checked her bag and pulled out Raven’s pc she knew that it was wrong searching through the younger girl’s computer but she wanted to see if she could find any information on Finn. After searching through Raven’s files for a couple of minutes she started decrypting her emails and messages. She came across several phone call, angry messages and emails from someone named Collins. Lexa scratched her chin ‘Finn Collins, hm’_

_She opened the Facebook app and typed Finn Collins on the searched bar. Almost 20 profiles appeared, and she clicked on the first one but it wasn’t him, that guy lived in the UK and was almost sixty, she doubted that Raven would be into such older guys._

_Then she proceeded searching for the second profile and yet again it was a hit and miss the guy was diseased. In her third try Lexa was successful._

_**Finn Collins** _

_**Studied at Florida state university** _

_**Lives in Washington, District of Columbia** _

_**Single** _

_And a few photos of him with his friends or some dumb life quotes._

_Lexa honestly hated this kind of people._

_‘ok Collins let’s see if i can find you’_

_******* _

_After a couple of minutes Lexa gained access to all of his social media accounts. Finn didn’t post often. Most of his Facebook and Instagram posts were from 2016 so she couldn’t count on locating him through his social media. She could probably go home and gain access to his computer using her special equipment, but she didn’t want to leave Raven’s side just yet._

_Then it dawned on her._

_'Raven’s phone!' She didn’t find it in the hospital bag neither inside Raven’s apartment, so where could it be? It was of course possible that she might have lost it but maybe, just maybe Finn managed to steal it as to hide any evidence of him contacting Raven._

_Lexa also thought of the possibility that he could have possibly gotten rid of the sell phone but it wouldn’t hurt to try locating it and so she did._

_She run a program typing all different kinds of code and Raven’s number and let the machine run in order to locate the device. A few minutes passed by and suddenly a red upside-down triangle appeared on the screen, pointing into a location._

_Lexa zoomed in to where the triangle was pointing and an address of an apartment appeared on the screen._

_‘Found you’ Lexa thought and smirked._

_She noted down the address closed her program leaving no trace of her hacking then she turned off the PC stashing it into her bag again._

_**3 days later…** _

_Lexa was once again back in the hospital talking to Raven’s doctor about her situation. Raven hadn’t had woken up yet after her surgery and Lexa was worried. Raven was supposed to have woken up by now._

_“Miss woods your friend was badly injured and had suffered a serious concussion which caused an inflammation on her brain and a pierced lung. Her body needs time recovering” “ don’t worry it’s perfectly normal. If she hasn’t woken up by day seven then we should run more tests but I doubt it._

_"This one’s a fighter” Dr. Walkers placed a hand on her shoulder sympathetically._

_Lexa appreciated his support but not his touch, she looked at his hand on her and then back at the Dr. with half glare._

_“Sorry” He quickly apologized._

_“It’s fine”_

_She wasn’t actually angry at him, he was a good guy and doctor that was helping her friend and she appreciated that._

_“By the way, later today we will be moving her out of ICU, Ill request for a comfy chair to be send into her room for you, it’ll help her having somebody close to her there.”_

_Lexa nodded and thanked the doctor._

_“No problem kid, gotta go duty calls” The doctor said as his pager went off._

_____________________________________________________________________________

 

_Lexa was sitting besides Raven on the comfortable chair that Dr. Walters had provided for her, answering a few emails Harper had sent her._

_The tube that was connected to her mouth was now off and the shorter girl was able to breathe on her own, that was a good sign according to the doctor, it meant that Raven was healing, but she still hadn’t woken up yet._

_Lexa was throwing random glances towards Raven’s side, she contemplated about reaching out and holding her hand as to give comfort but the older girl was never good at any emotional situations that tend to involve physical contact and tried to avoid them like plague._

_That’s why many throughout her life called her a socio and a freak, but they didn’t know what Lexa had been through in order to end up like this and they didn’t care about asking her. They simply avoided any contact with the brunette and preferred calling her all kinds of names behind her back._

_After a few minutes she had made up her mind and reached slowly forward placing her hand on Raven’s still one and rubbed the skin with her thumb. It was uncomfortable for her at first but she eased into it._

_Raven's hand was soft BUT a bit cold so she rubbed her thumb a bit faster trying to warm it up._

_Raven was special._

_The brunette had really rubbed on her. Maybe because she could sympathize with her and her struggles, having been through similar situations in her life herself. But she was also a very smart, kind and funny person of a person and Lexa secretly liked getting caught up in a friendly banter with her._

_Now she just hoped that the younger girl would wake up and forget everything about their fight, the tattooed girl knew that she had exaggerated when she found out about Raven but it was only because Lexa had been betrayed one too many times in her life and it made it difficult for her to put her trust on people._

_None of that mattered right now though, the only thing that mattered was Raven and making that coward, low life, pig of an ex pay._

_**Next morning…** _

_Lexa was walking by the hospital’s main entrance, coffee in one hand and her usual backpack on her shoulder, heading to Raven passing through the common room, when something in one of the tv’s on the wall caught her attention._

_The news channel was on and Cage Wallace’s face was shown on the big screen next to the news host who was clearly talking about him._

_**Brand new developments in Cage’s Wallace case after several months of searching for the wanted man that was involved in one of the largest sex trafficking rings in Wessington D.C, the police discovered his deceased body today at 4 a.m. in an empty parking garage in Philadelphia after having suffered multiple gunshot wounds on the chest and head. The body was found by a man working at said garage who heard the commotion and immediately called the police to report the crime. The CCTV caught footage of a man wearing a hat resembling Wallace and two other people with black ski masks on their face pointing a gun at him and then firing.** _

_**We will be contacting Bob Williams the employee of the garage, via videocall to describe us what exactly he heard and saw at the time where the brutal murder was taking place.** _

_**For more news visit our webpage…** _

_Lexa could not believe in her ears, she stood staring wide eyed at the TV screen for several seconds contemplating what she had just heard. Wallace was murdered._

_‘Fuck’ with everything going on she had forgotten about her search of him and now he was dead. How was she supposed to tell that to Raven? she would get furious._

_Lexa left the common room she arrived at Raven’s and deposited her coffee cup on the table next to Raven’s bed. She shrugged off her backpack and jacket and sat on her usual chair._

_“Hey Reyes” She greeted the unresponsive brunette she knew that Raven would not reply but she still tried to talk to her. Dr Walters had told her she might be able to hear her so Lexa took it upon her to talk to Raven at least once when she would visit her._

_“Reyes it’s been four days and I need you to wake up. Something happened and we have to talk” Lexa grabbed her hand rubbing it softly._

_“Come on” Lexa pushed but no response came from the younger girl. Lexa huffed. She wished that Raven would have been awake by now._

_“You’re my best buddy Reyes so you better hurry the fuck up and wake up”_

_Lexa said and went to release Raven’s hand, but she couldn’t, almost like something was holding her back. When she looked down her hand, she saw Raven’s one gripping her own. Lexa inhaled sharply and managed to look up to her friend’s face. She found two warm brown eyes staring at her and pink lips forming a small smile._

_“Mi…” **cough, cough** “Missed me?” Raven finally uttered her throat feeling dried and the pressure on her chest getting stronger so she coughed some more until she felt better._

_“Fuck no” Lexa smirked at the younger girl and gripped her hand tightly “About fucking time”_

_“Oh.. really ? Cause I could have sworn **cough, cough** “That you called me your best buddy” Raven was playing with the older girl, but her feelings were definitely mutual._

_“I’m so glad to see you” Raven tighten her grip too._

_Lexa gave her a shy smile._

_“How did I end up here?”_

_“You don’t remember?” “Finn”_

_Then it donned on Raven ‘That fucking bastard! Fuck!’_

_“Let me go get the doctor” Lexa released her hand._

_“Don’t leave!”_

_"Only for a second, I promise” Lexa said and exited the room._

_After a couple of minutes Raven saw Lexa walk inside her room with a doctor. “Glad t see you awake Miss Reyes” The Dr smiled at her. “This one has been sitting by your side waiting for you to wake up for four days now.” He chuckled_

_“She was like a soldier keeping safe her territory” The doctor said a proceeded examining Raven._

_‘four days?’_

_‘I’ve been asleep for four days?!’ Raven thought and her heart rated picked up. ‘four days of Lexa being at her side watching over her?’_

_The doctor started talking about all the injuries she had sustained on her body and about her surgery and many more details about her health. He even asked her if she would like to give a statement to the police to find out who did this but Raven shook her head._

_‘The police will not help trust me I’ve tried’ She thought again, tears gathering around her eyes. ‘Fucking Finn how did he find me?’_

_“Miss Reyes are you alright?”_

_“i.. **cough, cough** I just need some water please”. Lexa went to her bedside table and filled a cup with fresh water from a jug that the nurse had brought to her earlier._

_“Here”_

_“Thank you” Raven drank the water in earnest and asked for a refill._

_“Now, you had a pierced lung that’s why your experiencing coughing but it should go away within a couple of weeks don’t you worry”_

_"My head is killing me." Raven said irritated rubbing at her forehead._

_Dr Walter pulled out a white pen from his lab coat’s pocket and pressed a button which made the back side of the pen light up._

_“Eyes on the pen, follow the light please” The doctor made a left and right movement with his hand that was holding the pen, Raven’s eyes followed the light despite being blinded by it._

_“Perfect. I will prescribe you some light painkillers for the headache but you must take them only if the pain is too serious ok”_

_Raven nodded and looked at her hands skeptically. She knew her and drugs never had a good relationship._

_“that is all for now, we’ll run some more test to see how you’re doing and then in a couple of days we’ll discharge you”_

_“Great thank you dr”_

_“Have a nice day” He smiled and left the room. Lexa was standing at the foot of Raven’s bed staring at her._

_“What’s up commander?”_

_“Apart from you showing up to my apartment almost beaten to death saying Finn did it and then fall into a coma for four days after undergoing lung surgery? Great” She said sarcastically._

_Lexa didn’t add the Cage Wallace being dead part though , she didn’t want to overwhelm Raven more than she was now._

_Raven cringed._

_She was shamed for showing up at Lexas after their fight but she didn’t know where else to go, she couldn’t of course got to the cops. She felt safer with the older girl anyway._

_“sor..”_

_“Don’t you fucking dare” Lexa said loudly pointing finger at her._

_Raven was taken by surprise by the brunette’s harsh tone. When she went on to explain herself to the older girl, Lexa spoke up before her._

_“Don’t you dare say sorry to me, I’m going to make the bastard regret being born” “It’s my fault he found you, I left you all alone and he got to you”_

_“Lexa no! It wasn’t your fault, none of this was your fault do you hear me?” “I’m sorry for breaking your trust and then showing up at your place expecting your help” "I shouldn't involve you in my shit, i'll deal with it"_

_Lexa walked towards Raven’s side and sat next to her on the bed._

_“I was a stubborn ass, but the truth is you’re my best friend and I didn’t want to loose you I should have never send you away” “And i promise you he’ll pay for what he did”_

_Raven teared up listening to the brunette’s words she never thought Lexa would care about her just as much as she did for her._

_A tear slid down her cheek witch Lexa was fast to wipe away._

_“No more tears”_

_“Thank you so much Lexa for everything that you’ve done for me” Raven reached for the tattooed girl’s hand. “You my best friend too” She gave a big warm smile to Lexa. “That is why I cannot let you go find him”_

_Lexa was speechless. This guy had hurt Raven so much that she broke her and she wanted to protect him?_

_“What the fuck Reyes? I’ll kill him”_

_“Lexa please you can’t he has ties with the police, if you hurt him he’ll hurt you ten times worse” “You cant risk your life like that I wont let you”_

_“No”_

_“Lexa!” “Listen to me! **Cough cough cough cough** ”, “fuck..” Raven drank some more water clearing her throat._

_“Are you ok?” Lexa asked worried._

_“Yeah fine”_

_There was a small pause._

_“Please lexa I cannot let you die because of him, God knows how I survived him” Raven closed her eyes and rubbed them with her good hand. Then she opened them again focusing on the girl_

_“He almost killed me Lex, I saw it in his eyes, the hate he was looking at me with I swear if I hadn’t managed to land a good kick to his groin he would have killed me.”_

_Lexa felt her anger rising but she tried to keep her cool in front of Raven._

_“Raven, do you trust me?” She said staring right through the latina's big hazel eyes._

_“I do” The Latina answered._

_“Then you let me handle this, I promise you I will be fine ok?”_

_Raven left out a frustrated breath._

_It was clear that she couldn’t change Lexa’s mind._

_“Fine”_

_“good” Lexa gave her a small smirk._

_“Can I have you jello? I’m hungry” Raven asked looking at the plastic green jello cup._

_“No” Lexa answered and eat a spoonful of it._

_‘bitch’ Raven muttered looking at her angrily in a playful way._

_**2 days later…** _

_“Alright miss Reyes please sing you release papers here and here” The doctor pointed on the paper and Raven singed it._

_“Perfect, you’re all free to go” Raven smiled at the man and then looked up from her sitting position on a wheelchair looking at Lexa who was pushing it and then back straight ahead._

_“You’ll be staying at my apartment, I called us a cab”_

_Raven didn’t speak at first._

_“Um.. I need to get some staff from my place” “clothes and shit”_

_“Later”_

_Raven huffed and started scratching her arm._

_******* _

_The ride from the hospital to Lexa’s place was thankfully short. The older girl had helped Raven out of the taxi and entered the apartment building._

_They took the elevator to the tattooed girl’s apartment floor, when they reached their destination Lexa took Raven’s good arm and placed it on her shoulders and then she placed her own arm down to the younger brunette’s waist in order to prevent Raven from loosing her balance and falling._

_Lexa with a bit of struggle managed to unlock her front door while still holding Raven in place and they walked inside heading towards her bedroom._

_The tattooed girl carefully deposited Raven on her bed helping her lie down and get comfortable._

_“Thank you Lex but I don’t want to be in your way and take your bed”_

_Lexa looked at her with a ‘what the fuck are you talking about’ expression. “Shut up Reyes and you keep your pretty butt down on that bed”_

_“I knew you liked my ass woods” Raven chuckled and smirked at the brunette while maneuvering her body around to get herself into a more comfortable position._

_“Fuck off” Lexa said with a small smile on her lips._

_**Cough, cough** _

_“I’ll go get water” Lexa said and left the room._

_Raven muttered a thank you and felt her eyes fluttering shut, after a couple of seconds she fell asleep._

_When the tattooed girl entered the room again she place the glass filled with water on her nightstand and covered Raven’s form with a soft blanket._

_After a cpuple of hours Raven woke up, she looked outside of the bedroom window, it was still dark. She pushed herself in a sitting position on her bed and turned her body facing the room and tried to get up. It was difficult and it hurt but after a coupled of tries Raven managed to get herself up feeling a bit dizzy and nauseous and exited the bedroom._

_She walked until she reached the living room where she saw the taller girl sitting at her desk with headphones on, smoking a cigarette. She tapped her shoulder lightly but it still startled the brunette who turned around discarding her headphones. Raven quickly withdrew her hand and stepped back a couple of steps._

_“Sorry didn’t mean to scare you” “could you get me my meds? My head is killing me”_

_Lexa hesitated at first but she agreed and gave Raven two pills._

_“Thanks” Raven said and swallowed them without any water._

_“Um.. could you take me to my place in the morning? I need to get some stuff”_

_“The doctor said you need to rest and stay in for a couple of days” Lexa explained._

_“Yeah I know but I have to get something please Lexa”_

_The taller girl looked straight in Raven’s eyes. “If by stuff you’re referring to your hidden drug stash then nope, I flushed them down the toilet”_

_“WHAT?” Raven yelled and coughed heavily_

_“Why cough did you do that ?!”_

_“You’re getting clean, end of fucking story”_

_‘Fucking Lexa! How dare you touch my stuff?’ Raven thought. How was she supposed to get by without her precious medicine? She wouldn’t last long without them and she was already starting to see the signs of withdrawal._

_“You had no right!”_

_Lexa get up from her chair and approached Raven “keep your voice down, I’m doing this for you, you idiot” Lexa grabbed her arm pushing up her sleeve until it reached to her elbow and then lifting it to Raven’s eye level._

_“Look. Look what you’re doing to yourself” Raven refused to look at her arm she already knew all of the scars and needle marks that were on them._

_“Look damn it!” Lexa persisted._

_“Fuck!” Raven exclaimed and retrieved her arm back, pushing Lexa away from her. "Do you think I don’t already know that? I fucking know Lexa! But I can’t stop!I’ll die!”_

_“I just Can’t!” Raven was bawling her eyes out and slid down on the floor hugging her knees rocking back and forth._

_Withdrawal sings clearly obvious._

_“You won’t die Raven" I’ll help you” Lexa said sitting down next to Raven, placing her arms around the sobbing brunette._

_“I’ll help you”_

__________________________________________________________________________

 

_Lexa was rubbing up and down on Ravens back, holding her hair away from the toilet bowl. The Young brunette had been throwing up and shivering almost fifteen minutes now and Lexa was by her side the whole time trying to calm her. It was clear that Raven was exhausted after spilling her breakfast down the toilet bowl and proceeded lying down on the bathroom floor in fetal position trying to warm herself up._

_“Please Lexa just one more time, one more time and never again is swear please lex!” Raven was whimpering and begging the older girl._

_“No”_

_“Now come on” Lexa bend down to pick the shivering brunette off of the floor._

_Raven looked so small and fragile at that moment it pained Lexa to see her like this. Lexa walked with the younger girl in her arms to her bedroom and laid her on the bed._

_“Drink this” The tattooed girl brought a glass filled with water close to Raven’s lips while supporting her head with her other hand._

_Raven drunk more than half of it and laid back down exhausted._

_Few minutes went by and the young Latina started to sweat, Lexa brought a cooled towel dipped in water and pressed it on Raven’s sweaty forehead._

_“Shh, it’s ok” Raven was mumbling incoherent things but after a while she relaxed._

_“Rey, i'm going to change your clothes ok? I don’t want you getting sick”_

_Raven faintly nodded and Lexa went to her closet retrieving a buggy t-shirt and a pair of grey sweats that were to big for the smaller girl._

_“Lift up your arms” Lexa requested. But Raven shook her head._

_Lexa huffed but managed to pull Raven’s shirt off eventually. She stopped her ministrations when she saw the girl’s bandages from the surgery on her chest. She hated seen Raven in this situation and still partly blamed herself for it._

_After changing Raven into fresh clothes she left the brunette alone to sleep. Then she went to her wardrobe, pulled out a box contain all kinds of weaponry. She picked up a butterfly knife and her revolver and stashed it in her jeans, below the belt and the knife in her front pocket, then she left the room and the apartment locking the door behind her.She couldn’t risk Raven waking up and leaving off into the night._

_Lexa was waiting below Finn’s apartment on her bike, wearing her black helmet with tinted glass as not to be recognizable. She was almost hidden behind the few parked cars on the other side of street facing the apartment and was waiting for him to show up._

_After a little while Lexa saw a man resembling Finn’s profile and followed him towards his apartment building. She waited for him to get in and then she pressed the key code in opening the door. She saw Finn’s floor from the tiny screen above the elevator door’s and took the stairs, she was too impatient to wait for the lift to come down again._

_When see reached her destination she stayed hidden in the hallway and watched as finn opened his front door and going inside._

_She slowly approached his apartment and knocked on the door waiting for him to open up._

_“Who is it!?” The man behind the door asked._

_Lexa knocked again._

_The door swung open revealing a man boy with greasy, shuggy hair and a barely there outline of a beard holding a beer in his hand._

_“Who the f..”_

_He didn’t get to finish his sentence when Lexa tazzed him on the neck making him drop to the floor. Beer bottle smashing to thousands of pieces when it made contact with the ground spilling the yellow liquid._

_Lexa looked around to see if anyone was watching, when she made sure that the coast was clear, she dragged Finn’s unconscious body inside the apartment closing the door behind her._

_Ten minutes later… Finn’s Head was spinning and the side of his neck stung, his eyes were flattering. He was trying really hard to stay awake, but it was a loosing battle._

_Suddenly a splash of cold water made contact with his face and he was wide awake._

_“What the fuck!” He exclaimed loudly._

_Before he had the chance to say anything more he heard tape ripping and a piece covering his mount. He tried reaching for it to get it off but he realized that he couldn’t move his hands, he looked down trying to find the cause to why he couldn’t move his body and saw that his wrists and ankles were tied down to one of his wooden armchairs in his living room._

_“MMmmMMmmM” His screams were muffled by piece of tape._

_Then his eyes focused on a person sitting against his wall with a cigarette in hand and a cold expression on their face._

_“Good you’re awake” Lexa said and moved towards the bound man putting off her cigarette on his leg burning through his jeans and eventually his skin._

_Finn howled in pain, his eyes glistening and his body moving uncontrollably in effort of breaking free from his bounds. That would not happen of course, Lexa made sure to make tie him extra tightly._

_“I’m going to take this off and you and I are going to have a small chat” She said squeezing harshly his chin. “Understand?”_

_“MMmmM”_

_“Nod!” she commaned and slapped him on the face._

_Finn finally nodded and waited for her to remove the tape._

_Lexa ripped the tape off his face fastly making sure that it would hurt._

_“Ouch Fuck!” “Who the fuck are you? What do you want from me? Let. Me.GO” Finn yelled._

_Lexa punched him square in the nose, probably breaking it and making him scream in agony._

_“I do the talking, you just sit there, listen and nod!” “Even a dumb fuck like you should be able to understand that”_

_“ye..”_

_Lexa punched him again in the face.“I said, DO NOT FUCKING TALK”_

_Finn was angry but nodded anyway. 'That fucking bitch' he thought._

_“atta boy” he patted the top of his head in a patronizing way.And placed a foot on the chair between Finn’s legs bending her knee and crossing her arms on her chest,supporting her upper body on her lifted leg._

_“You’re probably wondering why I’m here” Lexa said and lit another cigarette._

_“I’m here because of Raven”_

_Finns widened._

_“You remember Raven right?” “Let me refresh you memory, you went into her apartment, beat her up real good. Almost killed her actually”_

_“That fucking bitch had it coming! Always bitching about everything and being always mad at me Fuck her!” “And what? You think you can kill me?” Finn laughed evily “I got friends in the police so you better watch your back because I know where you and your little slut live” “Untie me, now!”_

_Lexa walked over to Finn as calmly as she could and took her butterfly knife out of her pocket. Playing with it a swaying it skillfully._

_Then without a warning she stabbed Finn’s hand with so much force that it went through his palm and got stuck on the wooden arm of the chair._

_“FUUUUCK!” He exclaimed in agony._

_“enough! you and I are going to play a little game now.”_

_Lexa pulled her revolver out pf the waistband of her jean's, she opened the gun’s cylinder and emptied the bullets on her gloved hand except from one. she twisted the cylinder a couple of times with the bullet inside and  then she flicked her hand making the cylinder slide in place, making a distinct clicking sound and pointe at Finn’s crotch pulling the trigger. No bullet came out._

_“Fuck, what the fuck? Don’t shoot my dick, you crazy bitch!” He was again straddling against his restraints. His anxiety levels almost reaching their peak._

_Lexa pulled the trigger again, no bullet came out this time either._

_“Shut the fuck up then”_

_Finn was sweating like crazy by now, his mind racing with all kinds of thought. He was almost whimpering under lexa’s gaze._

_“Here’s what’s going to happen, You’re going to transfer ten thousand dollars from your account to Raven’s account” “to pay off her medical costs”_

_“Then you’ll transfer anonymously another ten thousand to a women’s group home that I’m going to give you their account number” “There they focus on domestic abuse victims I’m sure you know all about that”_

_“I…I don’t have that much money” Finn cried._

_“You have exactly 34.548,67 cents in your account I’ve checked” She said and took her phone out of her jacket showing it to Finn._

_Finn’s eyes widened, how the fuck did she know that?_

_“I wont give you that much money! That’s almost all my savings”_

_Lexa pulled the trigger for a third time, gun still pointing on Finn’s privates but yet again no bullets exited the gun._

_Finn was wailing._

_“And you’re going to stop looking for Raven and i, and don’t you think about making any of your cop buddies come and find us or else”_

_Lexa moved closer to him pointing a finger right in between his eyes._

_“I’m going to put a bullet right fucking here”_

_She tapped on the spot with her pointer._

_”Got it?”_

_“YES, YES I GOT IT PLEASE DON’T SHOOT AGAIN!” He pleaded, baling his eyes out._

_Lexa was watching him making sure he wasn’t lying then with the corner of her eye she saw Finn’s pants getting wet. He had pissed himself._

_“Well fuck, you ain’t so tough now are you big boy?”_

_Lexa checked her gun’s cylinder and saw that her next shot would have definitely hit Finn. She removed her knife out of Finn’s hand and cleaned it on his shirt. “You’re a lucky guy… For now”_

_“Do not disobey me”_

_He was nodding fastly. His eyes conveying the fear that he was feeling._

_“Good”_

_She tazzed him again making his head fall unconscious on the side. Lexa gathered all her things not leaving any traces behind her, she had even taken with her burned out cigarette bud and fled Finn’s apartment._

_\--------------------------------------------------------------_

_When Lexa stepped inside her apartment it was quiet, she went to her bedroom to check on Raven and saw the girl fast asleep on her bed._

_As quietly as she could she went to the bathroom and got rid of all her clothes and underwear and turned on the faucet, waiting for the water to warm up, she felt tired and dirty. She wanted to get rid of memories from the past hour, but she was glad that she had confronted that slimy fucker. She got in the tub and submerged herself in the soap water, almost immediately she started feeling relaxed. Her thoughts going back to the younger girl sleeping on her bed. Lexa was thinking about what Finn had said about knowing where to find them, they should probably start searching for another place to move she couldn’t risk Finn finding Raven again._

_When she finished her long, very needed bath she put on a buggy t-shirt and a pair of briefs and walked to the bedroom._

_“Hey” Raven said groggily and sat up on the bed supporting her herself on her elbow, she must have just woken up lexa thought._

_“Hey” Lexa greeted back._

_“Where were you?”_

_“out”_

_“where to?”_

_“Just out”_

_Raven decided not to push the brunette further._

_“ok”_

_“I’m going to brush my teeth” Raven said and left the room._

_When she came back, she saw Lexa putting something in her closet but she didn’t comment on it. Instead she laid herself on Lexa’s bed again, shuffling further away making enough space for another person. Lexa closed the closet’s door and was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room._

_“well?” Raven said and patted the space next to her lifting up the covers. “Get it”_

_“I’ll sleep on the couch” Lexa answered, she didn’t want to bother the smaller girl while she was in recovery._

_“Nonsense, get in. I need a friend right now”_

_Lexa didn’t refuse the girl and laid next to her under the covers on her back looking up the ceiling. It was a bit awkward for her at first but then she relaxed and made herself comfortable on the bed._

_After a while, Raven placed her head on her shoulder. “Is this ok?”_

_“yes”_

_Lexa nodded and stayed still as to bot disturb her. Silence._

_“So, I was thinking” “I want to get help Lex” She said and looked up to Lexa’s beautiful green eyes._

_“Okay we can do that” “Tomorrow”_

_Raven smiled_

_“Thank you”_

_Lexa nodded again._

_“Night Lex”_

_“night”_

 

__________________________________________________________________________

 

_**1 month later…** _

_It’s been one month since Raven was admitted to a rehab facility with Lexa’s help. The older girl was glad that her friend wanted to get clean and booked and appointment to the clicic she had contacted months ago for Raven, she was glad that they had still open positions for Raven._

_Lexa was on her way to visit Raven. It was the first time in a month that she would get visit her. In the beginning the patients were not permitted to have their family and friends visit or call them while their detoxification period started in order to stay focused on their goal and not get sidetracked._

_She walked to the front door and headed to the front desk where a nurse was. “I’m here to visit Raven Reyes”_

_“Yes of course, follow me please” The young nurse led Lexa to a big bright corridor filled with inspirational quotes and posters until they reached the visiting room._

_Lexa was able to see Raven from the glass window playing nervously with her shirts sleeve._

_“Here we are” The nurse smiled and held the door open for Lexa._

_Lexa nodded at her and walked inside, Raven noticed her the minute she walked in and got up from her chair quickly almost knocking it down._

_Lexa reached Raven until she was face to face with her._

_“Hey!” she said shyly trying to contain her smile._

_“Hey” Lexa smiled back and then she fell the young brunette crush to her chest holding her tightly almost leaving Lexa breathless._

_“I missed you” Raven voice was muffled by the taller girl’s shoulder._

_Lexa brought her arms around Ravens neck hugging close to her nodding her head in affirmation. Raven pulled away after a while and slapped her arm lightly._

_“Cant you just say I missed you too back like a normal person?” She smiled_

_“Never” Lexa said teasingly_

_“Bitch” Raven rolled her eyes._

_Raven sat down in her chair and Lexa did too in her respective one across from the shorter girl._

_“How have you been? Are they treating you ok? You look a lot better now, healthier” “Wow too many questions at once. First of all ouch I look good all the time thank you, secondly I’m doing real good here” “It was hard at first, I mean they wouldn’t even let us listen to music or read certain books or even hang out with others in our rooms.I feel like in in fucking high school.”_

_“Uh and group therapy sucks ass, there’s that hippie fucking therapist throwing around all kinds of inspirational quoted and then we have to repeat them. Yeah cause that’s gonna help me, sure Jan, and then there’s…” Raven was moving her hands in the air rapidly as she explained everything going on with her life and rehab now and Lexa was sitting silent in her sit listening to the younger girl rambling. She was glad that her friend was getting better, she looked happier and healthier, they bags under her eyes were gradually disappearing and she had put on some weight from what Lexa had noticed. Her face looking fuller and her eyes shinning for the first time in a while. …but overall therapy is helping me cope with situations and shit so its, its been real good”_

_“I mean I’ve felt the need to shoot up here and there but its gradually receding, so I’m glad” Raven finished her ramble and sat back I her chair holding her water cup with both hands._

_“How about you? What have you been up too?” She asked_

_“Not much, just running a few errands for Harper here and there”_

_Raven was nodding and waited for the brunette to keep talking._

_“Um..I’ve been searching for a new apartment but I’m waiting for you too get out of here and look together”_

_“Lexa Woods are you suggesting we Uhaul? Such a lesbian” Raven chuckled._

_Lexa was rolling her eyes she had forgotten how Raven could be. “Fuck off Reyes, sorry that I wanted to help you out”_

_“I’m kidding Woods relax. Thank you for wanting to help me out but you’ve already done so much. I own you my life”_

_“You cant go back to your old place you know that, I’m just saying not having to pay full rent is good”_

_“Dick! And here I thought you enjoyed my company” Raven was frowning playfully at the brunette._

_“Ok, I’m in”_

_Lexa looked at her with a small smile on her lips._

_“cool”_

_After a while talking about random topics Raven had asked Lexa if she had any leads on Wallace. Lexa had sat quietly contemplating about if she should reveal about his death to Raven or not but in the end she did, Raven had gotten furious for Lexa hiding this information from her for such a long time almost yelling and having a nurse to try and calm her down or else her visiting day would be over and Raven really didn’t want to have her friend sent away. Even if said friend hadn’t revealed her such an important thing._

_When it was time for Lexa to leave Raven clung to her once more. Lexa knew it was hard for Raven been here and not being able to talk to her but it was only for another month Lexa had reminded her and Raven had nodded crying a bit._

_“Even though you were an asshole for not telling me about that bastard I’ll still miss you jerk” She said and removed herself from a smiling Lexa._

_“And please try going on a grocery shopping god knows what you’ve been feeding yourself and don’t get into any trouble”_

_“No promises” Lexa ςινκεδ at her and put on her black shades._

_“bye and drive safe” Raven said seriously she didn’t want Lexa getting hurt because of that two wheeled death mashine she was riding._

_Lexa waved Raven good bye and she was on her way. ___________________________________________________________________________ **1 month later…** _

_A month later Raven was released form the rehab facility where she was staying and moved to Lexa’s apartment temporarily. She had revealed to Lexa where Wallace was keeping a part of his dirty money and they had driven off to the edge of the city into an old abandoned storage unit. Raven lead Lexa to a big blue metal door being kept locked buy a combination padlock. Lexa had pulled out some bull cutters from her bag breaking open the lock and bending down opening slowly the metal gate and walking inside, where a big safebox was kidding underneath piles and piles of old furniture._

_When they finally managed to open it they found inside almost half a million dollars it was clear that somebody had been there previously probably Wallacy’s trustee who had clearly failed to collect all the money for some reason, but Lexa and Raven were not complaining in the slightest._

_“Almost half a million…Wow” “We could buy a new apartment or something or…” “or?” “I know this is going to sound crazy but, what if we stayed here?”_

_“Here where?” Lexa was confused what was the smaller girl talking about._

_“Right here” Raven smiled widely and extended both of her arms._

_“It’s perfect!”_

_“It’s an abandoned storage unit what are you talking about?”_

_“Dude, look at all the possibilities. We could clear these out of and build rooms and shit” Lexa was looking at her weirdly, what the fuck was this girl saying?_

_“There is no plumping or electricity here and getting rid of all these shit would take us forever”_

_“We can’t leave here”_

_“Yes we can! I’ ll make it work, and give me these” Raven took the bullcutters from Lexa’s hand opening a second unit_

_“Ha! See, it’s empty, and probably so are most of the others” “I’m telling you this place is perfect, it’s solid, quiet and nobody will find us here”_

_Lexa was skeptical._

_“Come on Lexa this place is the shit, we can open holes is the walls and connect the spaces, we can install a water pump, we can even make a space for your precious bike” Lexa huffed_

_“Fine” Lexa rolled her eyes._

_“Fuck yes!”_

_Together they had spend months on end trying to convert the old abandon storage unit into a decent living space equipped with a water pump, an electricity generator and even a garage. Each had their individual “bedroom” spaces a shared living room and kitchen. It was their perfect ‘little’ space._

__________________________________________________________________________

 

**1 year later…**

Lexa parked her bike in the garage space inside the unit after arriving from ‘Skycru’ security offices downtown.

Harper had assigned her to research a young, charismatic (as Harper had said) column writer from Arcadia magazine. Lexa wasn’t a big fan of reading magazines or the newspaper, but she had heard of Clarke Griffin and the multiple scandals she would uncover about politicians, businessmen throughout the years.

It was clear that the girl had a knack for investigating other people and finding out about their dirty little business. She still membered of the article she had written about Wallace exposing him as a fraud an α manipulator taking advantage and manipulating young vulnerable girls on the streets.

Lexa locked her motorcycle in place closed the garage door and opened the door to where the living room area was walking inside. Ravens was perched in her desk chair working on her computer.

“Finally” Raven said dramatically.

“Where heave you been, I’m starving”

“Harper’s, she got a job for us”

“Food first” Raven said extending her arms trying to reach the Mc Donald’s paper bag Lexa was holding.

“You know there used to be a time where you were the one bringing me food”

“Times have changed give me my big Mac bitch” Raven whined.

Lexa tossed the brown paper bag on the desk next to Raven who didn’t hesitate to dig in.

The older girl was munching on some fries while talking to Lexa “So, whos’s our guy?”

“It’s a woman this time”

“Ugh finally, I’m tired of all them white men”

Lexa chuckled.

Raven took a bite put pf her burger and turned her chair around facing the brand-new computer that she had purchased with Wallace’s money.

“Name?”

“Clarke Griffin” Lexa answered.

Raven wiped her fingers and mouth on a paper towel and proceeded searching Clarke Griffin’s name onto her programm. If she had any bad business going on, they were going to find out soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This came out longer than expected so feel free to let me know if you want smaller chapters.  
> See you soon!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the next will be all about Clarke .

_Beep,beep,beep._

7:30a.m

Clarke groaned annoyed at the ear-piercing sound coming from her alarm clock on the bedside table next to her. She always hated waking up early in the mornings, that’s why she was glad she had found a job that suited her sluggish lifestyle and allowed her to have the freedom to work at any time and any place. Without having to worry about being late or out of schedule. Today though, it wasn’t her lucky day.

 Lately Nylah, the editor of the magazine where she worked at had her on the ball constantly and frankly Clarke didn’t know why. Only yesterday her boss had sent her an email requesting her presence at 9 a.m. sharp, downtown at the _‘Arcadia’_ magazine’s headquarters for an emergency meeting.    

Clarke loved being a freelance journalist for ‘ _Arcadia’_ magazine. She loved having the freedom to be able to write for whatever she wanted without too many restrictions, even though in the past it had turned around against her a few times. Only recently a couple of months ago, she had attempted to expose one of the largest corporations in D.C ‘Azgeda tech industries’ for being caught up in a financial scandal which involved embezzling money from their investors and spying on their consumers through their mobile security system programs.

To say the situation had been a huge cluster fuck would be an understatement. Azgeda sued the magazine and Clarke for publishing her deprecated article accusing her for lack of substantial evidence and the magazine for condoning such behaviors from one of their employees.

This had created a big problem for the magazine and an even bigger one for Clarke. The media caught up at lightning speed to the scandal which brought Clarke to a tight spot. Reporters and paparazzi were constantly following her wherever she went and publish all kind of awful things about her.

On top of that, the amount of money she had to pay to the company during the lawsuit against her, for supposedly ‘falsely accusing them for fraud’ and ‘her allegations not being based on substantial proof’ was almost everything she had. Nylah had helped her out during this tough time as much as she could, and Clarke was forever grateful to the kind woman.

Many would say that Nylah had a soft spot for Clarke. Letting her publish anything she wanted and, in this case, the ‘incriminating’ article. The flexible schedules where Clarke would drop by the office once or twice a week only to present her final articles or to seek guidance from the more experienced blonde.

There were already a few speculations going around the office, about the two women sleeping together besides the fact Nylah being married for three years now. And it was true. They were in fact having an affair but only because Nylah was in an open marriage with her wife Luna Rivers, a successful yoga instructor and business owner who was successfully running more than two hundred yoga studios throughout the U.S. Both women were comfortable enough with the fact that they both liked the occasional company of others but only to a physical level. They loved and trusted each other too much to be able to do this without having to worry about any third parties being a problem for their relationship. And since Luna was often away on business trips Nylah often grabbed the opportunity to meet up with Clarke.

Clarke knew right from the beginning that the driven, successful editor had a thing for her just as much as Clarke did for her, but it was purely physical and sexual sided. They both had a great dynamic while working together and a lot of respect for one another and they both knew that a romantic relationship with each other would never work out. Especially, since Nylah could never leave her beautiful wife who she loved dearly just for a fling and Clarke wasn’t interested in dating another person either after what had happened with her previous relationship.

Clarke turned around facing the offensive sound machine and pressed the off button on the top turning it off. She sat up on her queen sized bed with eyes barely open and started stretching her sleepy limbs hearing the satisfying pops of her spine. After, she reached for her phone unplugging it from the charger and spend some time going through her social media accounts emails and messages.

She shrugged duvet off her legs and got up from the bed, her bare feet touched the cold wooden floor of her bedroom which made Clarke flinch and shiver slightly at the cool sensation.

The blonde girl walked towards her window pulling back the blinds letting the sunlight get inside the room. Momentarily getting a bit blinded by the sudden light change, Clarke’s eyes took a couple of seconds adjusting to the imagine of the snow-covered city below her. The last days of November had greeted Washington with the first snow of the year. The blonde had always loved snow and winter in general. The chill weather, the cozy clothes, Christmas being right around the corner. Winter was Clarkes favorite season since she was a child. She had the fondest memories of her father then. Every year on Christmas eve she and her parents would go to their cabin in the woods her father had built for them just outside of D.C to spend the holydays all together. Jake was always working during the year in multiple projects in and out of state so Clarke didn’t really get to see him often and Christmas was the only time where young Clarke would get to spend some quality time with her father.

They had the best relationship until his death. When Clarke found out of Jake’s passing, she felt her world crumbling down on her, she became depressed and indifferent to everything around her and even her relationship with her mother became strained.

There was even a time where Clarke had completely cut off Abby from her life because her being too overbearing and controlling of Clarke’s life that made the blonde loose contact with her mother after moving out to college.

After Jake’s death Abby was never pleased or supporting with the majority Clarkes decisions in her life and even was against of Clarke studying journalism. Coming from a family of doctors Abby could not picture her only daughter not following in her footsteps and studying medicine. She and Clarke had a lot of fights about the matter and Jake was always the mediator, the bridge between them often telling his wife to let their daughter live her life as she chose to. But after his death that bridge collapsed, and their relationship was never the same.

 

Clarke sighted.

 She headed towards the bathroom stall opening the glass door and stepping inside turning on the faucet, letting the warm water to poor out. She exhaled softly  when she felt the warm water hit her head and back and grabbed the shampoo from the bathroom self next to her, squeezing a generous amount on her hand and started washing her hair.

When she was done, she exited the shower and grabbed a white fluffy towel to cover herself while she blow-dried her hair.

 

After a couple of minutes, she left  the bathroom still clad in her white towel, and walked inside her ensuite closet deciding what outfit she would wear today. Any other time Clarke would have chosen Something simple, business casual maybe.

 Clarke loved comfort and if she could escape wearing tight, uncomfortable office clothes for more than just  a couple of hours at the time, then that’s exactly what she would do. But today the circumstance didn’t allow for her to so. Clarke was certain that Nylah wouldn’t take kindly to her  showing up in jeans, a jacket and her white chucks.

 

So, instead she chose a simple pale blue cashmere sweater and some comfortable tailored black trousers, pairing them with a flat pair of black ankle boots and an equally tailored suit jacket, comfortable to the touch.

 When she was finished picking out her outfit, the young journalist moved out of her closet back to the bathroom to do her light make up routine.

When she was done with everything, she grabbed her cell phone from on top of her bed and proceeded going downstairs to get the coffee machine started.

After a couple of minutes, the machine started making sounds indicating that the coffee was being prepared and the smell of freshly brewed beans filled up the kitchen.

She also popped 2 pieces of toast in the toaster to go with her coffee and took out the raspberry jam and butter of the fridge.

While waiting for her food to be prepared Clarke decided to step into the living room space that was connected to the kitchen and turn on the TV in order to fill in the quiet atmosphere of the room.

It had been such a long time since Clarke shared a home with someone. In a way she was used to being alone, except from the times where Nylah or someone else would stop by for a casual one night thing of course. But the next day they were always gone.

And Clarke would be left all alone once again in her huge penthouse apartment. Not that she minded really, she loved the silence and most times she was the one sending her one-night companions away the next morning.

 Clarke had been weary of relationships ever since Finn Collins her now ex-husband happened. She was glad that that lying, cheating bastard was out of her life for good.

Clarke preferred as to never think of that chapter in her life again.

She always considered of adopting a pet to make the house livelier, her program allowed her to do so but she never got to actually follow through with her plan of adopting a little dog or cat.

 _“Maybe I should”_ she thought and poured the hot  coffee in her mint green cup, while also taking the freshly toasted pieces of bread off the toaster, yawning clearly still sleepy from having woken up so early.

When the clock on her kitchen wall showed 8:25 Clarke put the dishes inside the washer, turned off the TV that was aimlessly playing some morning talk show and grabbed her car keys and coat and was out of the door on her way to the office.

 

* * *

 

 

Clarke arrived at Arcadia 5 minutes past 9, she hoped that Nylah wouldn’t be too hard on her for being late, but traffic was a pain in the ass in downtown D.C.

She took the elevator up to the 28th floor where her Boss’s office was located at. When she reached the top floor the elevator doors opened and Clarke walked out to the large corridor heading to the offices.

 

“Nylah is about to go through the fucking roof” Octavia said clearly stressed as she approached her colleague and dear friend. Typing something on her tablet.

Octavia was one of Nylah’s closest Assistants and her own office cubicle was located right next to Clarke’s. Her and Clarke had been friends since the old college days, being dorm roommates and later own renting an apartment together, sharing large parts of their lives with each other both the good and the bad, the successes and the mishaps. Made them create such a strong bond that they viewed themselves almost as sisters. They both were always ready to help one another no matter what.

 _'Shit'_ Can you please notify her that I’m here?”

“on it!”

Octavia was about to call her boss but before she could even raise her hand to put her phone next to her ear, Nylah strode out of her office with a frustrated look on her face.

Clarke saw her boss angrily glaring at her from distance as she approached her.

“You’re late” Nylah sharply pointed out.

“sorry, traffic was a bitch this morning” Clarke answered with a guilty smile.

“I don’t have time for this, quickly follow me Clarke” Nylah responded and turned around, walking to the direction where the big conference room was.

“Yes ma’am” Clarke mumbled and took off almost running in order to catch up to Nylah who was walking in a fast pace.

Clarke always wondered how the older girl could almost run in high heels (that also happened to compliment her long legs) without breaking one.

Nylah seemed to have sensed that Clarkes attention lingered longer than it should and abruptly stopped dead on her tracks, turning around aggressively to face Clarke making the younger girl stumble a few steps behind.

“Eyes up here Griffin” she pointed her pointer and middle finger close to her eye level.

“I need you to focus and listen to me Clarke, this is important do you understand?” Nylah said almost patronizingly which Clarke didn’t take too well and frowned.

As Nylah turned around once again and started walking towards the meeting room Clarke grabbed her by the arm, not tingly or as to hurt the woman but more like to capture her attention.

“Will please tell me what the fuck is going on Nylah? I really don’t appreciate being woken up in the crack of fucking dawn without knowing the reason and being welled at on top of that” Clarke declared irritably and let go of the woman’s slim arm.

Nylah gave a big exhale and took of her expensive glasses, rubbing the spot on her nose between her eyes always careful as to not smudge her make up.

After she re-wore them, Nylah stepped inside Clarke’s personal space and place both of her hands on Clarke’s arms gripping them lightly from the sides.

“Listen Clarke, there is someone here who wants to speak with you about a job” “Unfortunately I cannot disclose any information as he wishes to talk to you personally”

Clarke frowned “A job?”

Nylah nodded.

“Who are they?” Clarke asked confused. This shit was way to secretive for her liking. “And why do they want me?”

“Clarke I promise you’ll understand everything once we get there ok?” Nylah assured her. “Come… Please” her boss almost pleaded and help open the door of the meeting room for Clarke.

The blonde girl slipped inside the room and was greeted by a bald man probably in his 50’s, sitting in the large cherrywood conference room table, wearing an expensive suit, looking at some papers in front of him.

When he sensed that he was no longer alone on inside the spacious room he looked up, and smiles as his eyes fell upon the two women.

“Ah, you must be Clarke. Pleased to meet you” He got up from his comfortable leather chair and extend his hand towards Clarke, smiling slightly waiting for the younger girl to shake it.

Clarke walked over to where the well-dressed man and shook his hand.

“That’s right. Nice to meet you too mr…?”

“Muller”, “Karl Lorenz Muller” He answered. “But you can call me however you prefer”

“Please, take a sit” He said gesturing in one of the empty chairs in front of him.

“Right. So, Mr. Muller may I ask why I’m here today?” Clarke asked as she tried to find a comfortable position.

“I suppose I shall cut right to the chase then Miss Griffin” He chuckled.

Clarke really didn’t know what to make of the man.

“My client specifically asked for your assistance Miss Griffin in an extremely _sensitive_ matter so to say” Muller said whilst looking at his papers fixing his glasses.

“And who is your client excaclty?”

“Mrs. Becca Franko” he replied placing his hands on the desk, tangling his finger together.

“The CEO?” Clarke asked baffled.

Becca Franko was an industrialist and manufacturer of A.L.L.I.E artificial intelligence owning a very large portion of both the US and European market when it came to A.I technology and equipment. Becca was also a well known competitor of _Azgeda_. ‘ _why would Franko ever need my help?’_

“Precisely” The lawyer said.

“Clarke” The man uttered to get her attention while he got up and switched the tinted mode on the electrochromic glass windows of the office so no outsider could see what was going on inside the room.

 _‘weird’_ Clarke thought.

He later proceeded to open a brown folder containing several pictures and started laying them on the table.

Clarke took ahold of one of the printed photos and almost threw up.

All of them were depicting a horribly mutilated body of a woman. Clarke wasn’t able to determine the age of the victim due to the awful state the head was in and the facial features were barely distinguishable. The cause of death was most likely multiple stab wounds all over the body, the young journalist estimated.

“Wha…What is this?..” Clarke uttered with difficulty turning her head  to look at Nylah wide eyed placing the photograph back down on the table.

Nylah opened her mouth ready to explain the situation when she got interrupted by Mr. Muller who yet again sat in his seat opposite of a discombobulated Clarke.

“This was Miss Franco’s niece. She got abducted in a small town in Vermont, Polis”

“Her body was found a week after her abduction, washed up in the sores of the local river” He explained and took even more photos of different women out of the folder displaying them for Clarke to see “These were also women found in a similar situation all dead within a week of their abduction” “These events took place almost 20 years ago”

“But last Friday 2 bodies were discovered in similar circumstances as 20 years ago” “These are the bodies of Bella Walters and Stefany Chi, both students at Polis high school”

He placed 2 more photos of the victims in front of Clarke. Who couldn’t help but close her eyes briefly at the gut churning images in front of her.

“Why are you telling me all this?” She asked weakly.

“Miss Griffin my employer wishes for your assistance to help and find the murderer of her niece as well as of these poor souls”

Clarke was finding it difficult to even utter a single word.

“Why me? Why not go to the police? How could I ever help you, I’m not a detective I’m journalist”

“You are a highly intelligent and charismatic investigator; my boss has great faith in you, especially after the whole Azgeda scandal”

“You’ll also receive full support from the police department of Polis, so there is no need to fear for your wellbeing… and of course your payment will be more than generous ” He reassured her.

“Pff” Clarke chuckled dryly clearly unamused with the memories  “That was a disaster, if your boss is taking as an example that cluster fuck then you clearly have the wrong person for this job” Clarke answered and stood up abruptly ready to exit the room.

“My Employer seems to disagree, miss Griffin please before you go?” He searched for something in the inside pocket of his suit jacket and took out a white slim envelope. “These are plane tickets to Vermont. Mrs. Franco has requested a personal visit from you and sh…”

“What do you want from meMr. Muller? Fly over to Vermont, visit your boss and help her solve a murder that happened almost a2 decades ago?” “Do you know how crazy that sounds?” Clarke was extremely irritated as much as she tried to conceal her emotions and try to stay professional.

“Miss Griffin I urge you to rethink of your decision” he placed the white envelop on the desk and started gathering his things. “please consider visiting Mrs. Franco and talking to her personally” “And if you decide to change your mind, I’ll send a direct copy with all the information I have gathered so far” he stated and left the room saying his goodbyes both to her and Nylah.

When he left, the two blonde girls were left alone inside the room. The silence between them was becoming deafening by the second until Clarke decided to speak up.

“What the fuck Nylah?!” What the fuck was that ?” Clarke almost yelled. “Did you agree with this?”

“Clarke you are the most capable person to handle this case as discreetly and efficiently as possible, if there is someone that can help its you.” Nylah explained trying to convince Clarke of taking on the case.

“I don’t solve murders Nylah! I’m a fucking journalist, I… I uncover corporate scandals and fraud, not fucking murder!” Clarke exhaled frustratedly.

“I know Clarke but if I knew that you wouldn’t cope then I wouldn’t have said yes” “I think you’re a great investigator, intelligent and goal-oriented, you’re perfect for this and you’ll have my full support throughout this whole ordeal” The older woman promised.

“On top of that your career will skyrocket, you’ll finally be able to clear out your name. People will forget all about Nia, I’m telling you Clarke this is at your advantage.

“i…” Nylah didn’t get to finish her statement when a knock came from the glass door of the room.

“Who is it?” Nylah asked.

“It’s Octavia Mrs. Foster, Your eleven o’clock is here” Octavia’s voice sounded muffled through the door but still clear enough that both women heard it.

“I’ll be out in a minute, thank you Octavia” She spoke loudly from the other side of the door.

“Listen Clarke” Nylah addressed her while reaching for her bag taking out a pair of keys. “I have to go, please come by my place tonight, Luna Is away on a business trip. We’ll talk some more” She extended her hand holding the keys to Clarke.

The younger girl took them reluctantly. “Fine” She grumbled.

Nylah gave her a lingering kiss on the cheek and stroked her neck gently. “Thank you, I’ll see you later” Nylah voiced, gathered her things and left.

After a while Clarke did the same after saying her goodbyes to her best friend. She drove her car out of the huge skyscraper.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that i've been AWOL for such a long time guys, i've missed writing this story so much but time was scarce unfortunately. Hopefully i'll be able to pop out more chapters, faster this time around!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, see you soon!


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